WE COULD BE FOREVER
by Mccull
Summary: "LOVE IS STUPID! IT RUINED EVERYTHING FOR ME!" I snarled at Hyuu, knowing that love had changed my older brother, Touya, and that I refused to let it change me as well. Can Hyuu teach Kyouhei that love isnt a bad thing? M for future lemons! (yaoi)
1. Chapter 1

~Kyouhei~

Just one more day to remember who I was… That's all I wanted.

Which was a stupid lie of course… one more day would only make me want one more day, and then another and another. The truth was that one more day just wasn't rational anymore, I had made my decision, I had taken the flight, I had said my unpleasant goodbyes to the tiny Island of Mintonga… it was over. Now I was officially a legal citizen of Unova, waiting in the fucking airport bathroom shaking slightly because there was an inevitable lump in the back of my throat, telling me to go back to where I came from.

I nuzzled the gentle pokemon in my arms, hiding my face in her back as she squirmed slightly, unfamiliar with the lack of moisture in the air and the loud humming noises of generators sounding throughout the whole place. This was an industrial city, a place where new technology and machines were being created in order to simplify the lives of people around them. This was something I found incredibly strange, considering simple in my opinion was lack of technology, not more of it. I didn't understand, so I felt very small in comparison.

A small voice in the back of my head told me that things would be ok however, as soon as I found my older brother, who was waiting for me outside this place in order to take me to his new home in this town called "Aspertia".

"What do you think Kukui?" I murmured, hugging the relatively small squirtle and staring at our reflections in the mirror. She was a perfect clear ocean blue color, with the same kind of natural sunspots lining her face like freckles lined mine. Her eyes were pale and soft as she looked back at me, under the harsh bulbous light fixtures. Gently she touched my face with her webbed fingers. She butted me softly in the shoulder; a quiet reminder that this was my idea, and that I had to live with those consequences. I was just happy that she was here with me now, easing the suffering in my heart.

Two years ago my older brother, Touya Black, left the island of Mintonga with our mother, who had divorced our father because she wanted to experience the world firsthand. She was a tourist on the island at one point, and when she met our father she fell "madly in love" and that's when she had Touya, who would forever be her living shadow. The two were inseparable, and I knew that when the decision had been made and the divorce went through, Touya would be leaving the village of Tilt to stay with her. Some people would call this being a mama's boy, but he used to say that it was because he had a story to tell elsewhere. I guess I just never understood…

What could be more fulfilling than the island? It was perfect in every way shape and form, from the tide that rolled in every evening to the way that warm rain would fall and leave everlasting dew on the tropical plants that inhabited only that one place in the entire world. I saw no shame in the lifestyle, I loved it, and so I had insisted that at the time I stay behind. My mother and brother could reach their dreams elsewhere but not me… no way…

Until now that is…

My father fell drunk off a cliff about a month ago… and… that's all there was to it. Just like that he was gone and I had nothing.

That's how I came to the conclusion that I had to stop being stubborn and just give up. I had to leave… the island was far too small to stay on alone. You would go stir crazy to say the least.

Not to mention my brother had just moved out of our mother's home in Nuvema Town, and was now living the good life in this wretched little city that I would call home. Aspertia… even the name was harsh and intimidating. Like the lights here, or the blaring sounds coming from high above. They called out flight names, travel agencies, tourist attractions, and terminals to no end. It was all so much to take in I didn't understand how my brother could actually feel at ease. He was born on the island… he was a native by blood and yet he still managed to find success in this larger, daunting region called Unova. What did it do for him? What was his reason? Where was the boundary that crossed over from his island life and this life?

"Touya found himself here…" I said to Kukui, the island pokemon that had been far too faithful not to come with me thousands of miles away from the village of Tilt. She was named after a native island flower—a tiny white thing that bloomed throughout the sweaty year. The whole island blossomed with them, and it was also the flower I had painted on her shell when I first met her after my parents got divorced and my brother left. I had a near identical flower tattooed in black line-art on my right shoulder as well, forever tying us to the land we called home.

"Do you think I will find myself here too?" I whispered, closing my milky brown eyes and fighting the desire to start sobbing like a child. That was impossible I knew, because I had left myself behind when I got on that plane here in the first place. I couldn't find myself in a place like this… the only place I would ever find myself was on a beach with a surfboard in my hand and the ocean lapping at my feet. That was who I was.

Kukui turned, hugging my neck tightly and silently assuring me that it would be ok, only to be stopped by a horrified gasp that came from the door to the restroom.

"What are you DOING?" a middle aged and very large woman came storming towards me, swinging her almighty purse and throwing it into my head. "GET OUT OF THE LADIES ROOM!"

I shrunk back, gasping at the weight in such a bag and pulling my pokemon with me.

"Fuck!" I cursed, grabbing my carry-on and throwing it over my shoulder as she rounded on me, intending to chase me clear out of the airport. "What the hell are you talking about?!" I bit back the more vulgar things I wanted to say as I trampled back out the door I had come in. Only now did I realize that there was a specific sign on the door—a symbol of a horribly drawn woman. My mind whirled in confusion as numerous strangers stared at me, watching as if they were concerned with my appearance.

All I could think of was why the hell there was a separate bathroom for woman and for men… why? Since when?

The speakers blared above my head as I slunk away, ignoring the calls that came from people in suits holding signs with strange names on them. Everyone looked so… busy that it was hard to concentrate. It was as if this whole world had been put into fast-forward. Even the way they talked seemed utterly fast- not that I could understand half of them through their accents anyways. I stared at the ground as I walked, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone but not wanting to step on anyone's heels either (knowing this crowd they would recoil and bite me in the face).

Once I got outside things would look better… there would be real air and trees and flowers and other things that I could drown myself in. Things that would remind me of home and make me feel a little bit better about my decision to come here. And Touya would comfort me as well… he would bro-hug me like he used to and mess my hair and I would act like I didn't like it—but really I had been missing it for over two years now.

I hoped Touya would be proud of me… I hoped he would be appreciate me coming to live with him instead of staying on the island after our father died. Since this decision was based off of him I figured he would have to… right? But of course there was always the odd chance that maybe he had moved away from mom because he wanted to be alone… or maybe he had a new girlfriend that he was getting close to (as much as that idea repulsed me I had to admit it was possible).

Walking through the airport was challenging and confusing, with a lot of signs pointing in odd directions—the ceiling?—and people directing others around as if no one knew what to do. It was busy for a Sunday evening, and despite it all I couldn't quite gather the strength to go on. I had to stop twice because I felt utterly dizzy, swaying into a man in a wheelchair and then ultimately sitting on the ground in a corner that smelt like cigarette smoke and carpet cleaner. I put my head between my knees, taking long deep breaths and trying to remember the last time I had eaten—not at all today because the airplane attendants didn't take money from where I came from.

Kukui blew a soft spray of mist on my sweaty forehead, uncaring of the way it dripped through my hair and cooled me. The walls continued to spin slightly as I sat, wondering why, why, why, why I had done this to myself. I could have stayed on the island… no one would have judged me… my mother would have been disappointed in me for not coming to live with her here in Unova was of course, she would be disappointed when she found out I was living here with Touya instead. It felt like I just couldn't make everyone happy, and more or less I wouldn't be happy at all. This was the decision of the century and it was too late to want to go back. A wave of homesickness came over me strong and hard, dragging me further into the ringing in my ears and making it hard to see straight.

"Hey kid… come on kid!" a voice approached me not a moment later. "Get up."

I swallowed the emptiness in my stomach and looked up at the face standing above me. "C—can you take me outside?" I ran a hand through my dampened hair.

"Yeah kid." The young adult offered me a hand—which I took gratefully—and pulled me to my feet. "You ok? Where are you from?"

I shook my head, feeling Kukui holding my ankle as if she would catch me if I fell. "Umm… an island, you wouldn't know it."

He nudged me forward. "I'm the gym leader of this town, Cheren, a good friend of your brother."

"Huh? Y—you know my brother?" How did he even know who I was to begin with?

"Kid, everyone knows your brother…"

I looked up in confusion. Why would everyone know my brother? Last I checked this wasn't a small town in any sort, and Touya had just moved here, so there was no way he could make friends that fast. I perched my lips as the gym leader looked down at my pokemon, his black hair falling slightly in his eyes and his long limbs reaching down in offering. Kukui sniffed him, but that was it… she wasn't used to these kinds of people either.

"Squirtle right?" Cheren asked, ignoring the obvious confusion. "But I didn't know Squirtles had freckles…"

"She…uh… well most of the Squirtle where I come from have sun freckles." I bent and lifted her easily into my arms, ignoring the way my head tried to pull me under like a dark ocean wave again.

"Like you." He chuckled back at me. "Come on, I will show you the way out…"

"Thank you."I said, following him carefully, a pace too close so that he turned and looked over his shoulder and I was right there. But I couldn't help it… I didn't want to get lost and this was the first nice person I had met.

"Umm… Mr. Gym leader." I muttered, breaking the private bubble of silence between us. "You said that everyone knows my brother… but… why is that?"

"You really don't know?"

I blinked innocently. Touya was just a trainer. A good one obviously, since he had the money to pay to live in a large town like this one, but that didn't mean that he should be popular. And what was even more baffling than that is that Touya had always been my nerdy older brother. He was the one that preferred to stay inside on rainy days while I was out in the ocean racing the waves on my surfboard. He was the one that couldn't climb a palm tree to the very top without falling halfway. He was the one that often backed out of stupid dares (running nude through the jungle).

I just couldn't see him as anything but… well… UN-popular.

"You will have to ask him yourself…" the gym leader murmured as we approached a large set of double doors that swung open on their own. Shit what kind of sorcery was this? Doors that opened on their own? No… people would wave their hands before a black square on the wall, and THEN the doors would open. What the hell is that?

"Is it bad or something?" I asked, considering the possibilities that my brother could have been a criminal or something. People may know him if he did something really bad…but… Touya was nothing of the sort the last time I saw him. Last time I saw him he was still picking flowers for mommy with scraped up knees (while I wrestled with wild mankeys in the canopy, trying my hardest not to break another bone because she swore up and down it would stunt my grown forever. And I was short to begin with).

"Ask him yourself." Cheren lead me through the doors out into the big scary world of the city—I had only ever seen pictures before.

"Where?" I ignored the things around me, trying to anticipate the concrete buildings and neatly shaved grass that was placed along the sidewalks, as if that would counteract the ugliness of it all and make it ok. It was too much to take it at one time—I had to wait for the right moment to truly look.

"What you don't recognize your own brother?" a familiar voice was followed by a swift swat to the back of my head. "Arceus Kyou, look at this mop."

A flood of relief came over me as I turned to see a pair of familiar chocolate brown eyes boring down at me—however from much higher up than I remembered. Unthinkingly I through myself into his arms, unable to bear the idea of this discomfort any longer. It had been just over two years since the last time I saw him… I didn't care what anyone thought of two brothers hugging in public all awkwardly, I was just happy to find some comfort.

"Man you smell like the ocean…" Touya ruffled my hair, dislodging the lingering smell of saltwater and sickly sweet flowers. "And what the hell is that?!" he turned to look at the tattoo on my shoulder.

I smiled tiredly, the first sheepish smile I had put on since I left the island early this morning. At least if I couldn't be on the island, I still had a piece of it with me. That tattoo was more than just a few lines of black ink…it was part of me. It was a memory.

I took a deep breath, letting the somewhat clean air bathe the back of my throat as I looked up at my older brother in awe. This was the first time I was seeing him for a long time, and it really amazed me to know that up until now he had only been a memory as well. He was my childhood memory while he was gone, and now we could start making more memories. He was here, I was here, and that was what meant something right now.

The brother before me though… was a lot different than the brother I knew two years ago. He was taller for one, and he had thicker more neatly groomed hair. His skin had returned to its non-tan color and though he never had the kind of freckles I did, the few he had were now nearly invisible. I didn't even know freckles could disappear… but I guess if they were fueled by the sun, then being in a town where the sun didn't ripen you… it made sense. He also had a more definite jaw line, with fuller lips and a heavier set brow. Dark eyelashes rimmed his chocolate colored irises and his nose looked to be shaped a little more neatly between his eyes. It was almost as if someone had reconstructed his face… but not enough to make a noticeable difference.

I knew that the only reason he looked different was really because he had simply grown up. Unova had taken him in during the most frivolous time of his development—zits, hands and feet that were too big for his body, no sense of style—and yet now it seemed that he was the complete opposite. He had left before his prime and now he was swimming in it… but… oddly enough he didn't look…happy…

"I'll talk to you later Black." Cheren, the neutral gym leader spoke up from where he was watching the reunion. It was obvious he didn't want to intrude.

"Thanks for finding him."Touya shot back a striking—and obviously fake—grin. I flinched, biting my lower lip and stepping back a spot. Well this… this was awkward…

"Why did he call you Black?" I wondered as the gym leader left.

"Everyone calls me Black."Touya shrugged. "Now come on… you look like you are sick or something, have you eaten today?"

I shook my head. "No…" but my stomach didn't feel hungry anymore… My stomach felt empty in a way which could not be filled. It felt there was a piece of my insides missing and the short second of happiness vanished like a flame underwater. Why was my brother so well known? And why did everyone call him by his last name and not Touya? Never before had anyone called him by Black…

"I missed you buddy." My older brother wrapped an unsteady arm around my slender shoulders and messed my hair once again, seeing that my face had fallen. "We have a lot to talk about I know… but it can wait. I want you to see your new room…"

I smiled sadly, looking my brother in the eyes once more in misunderstanding. He was acting happy… but he wasn't happy…So what had happened?

"I missed you too."I shrugged him off playfully, as I used to do when we were younger and he would cling to me. The rejection was more like affection if you ask me… but this time it felt different. Touya was right when he said we had a lot to talk about…

But why did it feel like he was going to lie to me?

…

Touya's house in Aspertia was relatively cookie cut in comparison to all the other houses in this fresh new town. It was set on a street with few trees and more decorative iron-work fencing than anything. It was painted neatly in white and lined with flowers that were placed just so, perfectly united so that they didn't look natural. It was bothersome to watch gardeners out before their homes in the chilly spring evening, under the suns melting glare with hoses and shovels. It made me feel left and lost in a weird way.

The bedroom Touya gave me wasn't horrible though, it faced a direction in which I could see the wilderness touching the city's limits, rising like a mighty beast ready to pounce on the havoc of such a town. It was the first thing here I admitted I liked—considering Touya said just beyond those trees was a beach, and though it wasn't as warm as the beaches I was used to, it was still uninhabited and nice. He admitted to surfing there a few times in the last two weeks since he moved in here and that alone made me feel like maybe he was the same brother that once lived in Tilt with me. I wasn't happy, but I was a little more at ease.

There was also pale wooden windowsills in this room, whereas all the other rooms in the house had been painted with white and looked more civilized than I was used to. Touya had left me the bare wood on purpose and I thanked him for that—he even said I could carve into it like I used to in the palm trees down by the beach. Really the only problem with this room was it was empty without even a bed, which Touya made a mental note to get, as well as a dresser and some shelves if I wanted. I told him that he was being too weird and eager to be nice and that he should stop before I took advantage of it. He didn't mind apparently.

"I'm not a terrible cook huh?" my older brother asked as I shoveled rice and vegetables into my mouth, not tasting the searing food but loving it so much because I was starving to death.

"You've always been a good cook." I commented between bites.

"Well you've never been such a hog." He scoffed, wrapping his long fingers around the scaly head of his pokemon—which I had only just been introduced to upon entering here. She was a massive snake like thing—kind of like an arbok but with completely different colors—and had extremely sharp eyes. Her muscles rippled and the leaves protruding from her neck would sway as if they were being blown by an unnatural wind. She had come willingly to me, seeming to know that I was related to her master, and I found that despite the squirmy feeling in my chest, she actually wasn't intimidating. She was sweet and eager to make friends with Kukui, who was not so brave as to do so. The squirtle stayed close to my side even as we ate.

"I suppose I should start explaining…" Touya murmured when I ignored his comment—of course I was a hog, I was a growing sixteen year old boy.

I swallowed eagerly, awaiting this moment and choking down my nervousness with a glass of water. "Yeah." My eyes narrowed. "Black…"

"Black's the name I was given by a… friend." Touya murmured. "Sometimes Blackie, but that's not the point. The point is… that I'm… sort of a hero—and I know that you probably won't believe me if I just tell you, so… here."

I waited as he skipped across the kitchen to a cabinet door that had a small combination lock on it.

A hero…?

Touya unlocked his cabinet and pulled out a large bin, snapping the lid off and setting it on the edge of the table in front of me. From inside I could see many, many newspapers and articles from magazines, stacked together in obvious order from oldest to newest.

"Two years ago…" Touya began, pulling out the oldest newspaper and handed it to me. "An organization called Team Plasma tried to liberate all the pokemon of this region. I didn't know about it at the time, but I was on my pokemon journey so I ran into them and they tried to take my pokemon… I was lucky enough I beat them and word got around."

I stared at the news article before me, eyes wide as Touya was on the front page holding the small first evolution of his grass pokemon Serperior. It was such an old picture too that I could see Black's island freckles and his more naturally windblown hair. It was him before the big scary region got a hold of him. I sighed, glancing up at him again now that I could see the evident differences. Slowly I was starting to feel like this was less and less of the brother I once knew.

He spread out about six or so more newspapers and pointed to them in order. "The dreamyard, the Chargestone cave, the amusement park, Twist mountain, Dragon Spiral Tower, the pokemon League… I beat Team Plasma every single time. The region actually started to rely on me… and well, my best friend Cheren who you met earlier. Together we were sweeping the nation, Kyouhei…try to understand ok? You were secluded on that Island so I know you didn't hear about any of this, but… its true. I stopped Team Plasma, I battled their leader and I won."

"Well it couldn't have been that big a deal…" I murmured, knowing that I probably sounded more rude than anything. But really I was in awe. All those pictures the newspaper put out reflected a year's time in which my brother went from perfectly tan island boy to sharp and skilled Unovan man. I could literally see the spirit of our homeland being sapped from his gaze as he took pictures upon pictures and displayed them before me on the kitchen table.

"It was huge. Kyouhei, half of the region lost pokemon dear to them. Everyone was living in fear, everyone was hiding. It was… a bad time."

I couldn't meet his eyes as he spoke.

"But it's over now… and the only thing that's left is… my name. Black. That's what people called me."

"Everyone knows you…" I murmured. "Is that why you're ok here? Is that the reason you like it here?"

"What do you mean?" He asked. "I like Unova because… I just… have a lot of memories with it now."

"Oh." I murmured, not sure if I believed him or not. Everyone on the island knew each other, so I thought maybe since everyone here knew Touya, then that was what made him like it here. But I guess he was right… memories are a lot of who you are and what you do and where you go in life, that's exactly why I had found it so hard to leave the Mintonga Island—all my memories were there.

"You ok?" he asked me when I stopped eating completely, just pushing things around with my fork instead.

"I'm fine." I said. "Just shocked you know."

"You will get used to it." He smiled that same fake smile that he gave her best friend Cheren earlier at the airport. It was strained… unlike the cheeky grin he used to give people when we lived on the Island. And I highly doubted I would get used to anything here.

"Oh and here some good news that might cheer you up." Touya nudged me in the shoulder. "My friend Bianca is a pokemon professor's assistant and I asked her if there was any way she could get you a pokemon… I didn't know that you would have one of your own." He looked at Kukui softly. "But if you still want it she said she was bringing over a trio of pokemon in a few days."

I wasn't sure if I did want a pokemon native to Unova, since they all seemed so different and weird… but at the same time I didn't want to be mean about the offer, so I just nodded. At least I wouldn't get lonely with pokemon around me.

"Don't look so miserable." Touya packed away his newspapers swiftly, closing the tub and putting back into the locked cabinet. "Come on… Kyou, it will be fine."

I shrugged. "I hope."

He sighed. "Right… well… ok."

I nodded as he turned and left me alone in the kitchen to think, his slithery Serperior fallowing eagerly.

Touya was a famous pokemon hero? He was so well known around this region that he actually liked it here? I didn't understand… the memory thing made sense but it wasn't as if he was even living in the same town. He was living in a completely new area that held no memories to him at all. So what was the point? I didn't want to admit that I was hoping to find Touya a little more disgruntled by the new atmosphere like me… but at the same time I couldn't even allow myself to believe that I was hoping Touya would decide to come back to Tilt with me.

Was that my anterior motive all along?

No… I knew my brother wasn't going back to the island… that had never crossed my mind until now. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt to know he had lost all interest in it.

Kukui patted me on the shoulder gently, bringing me out of the darker parts of my mind that revolved around going back home where I belonged. I sighed, stabbing a vegetable and pushing it further away from me on the plate.

For the first time in a long time I wondered if any of this would have happened if it weren't for the fact that two years ago Touya and my parents got divorced. My mind whirred back to the way it was so long ago, when the couple actually cared about each other. It was their choices that made me have to make the choices I did today. It was them who separated Touya and I two years ago. It was initially them and their stupid "love" that made things the way they were now.

Angrily I pulled Kukui into my lap, hugging her tightly and biting my lower lip. Things were so different now…

Even Touya was different. He wasn't even Touya anymore…

He was Black.


	2. Chapter 2

~Hyuu~

"Lizzie!" shit… not again! "LIZZIE!" I yelled out into the street on this fine spring morning, though my bare feet were frozen to the cold cement sidewalks, making it hard to manage. Lizzie was my younger sister of only four short years, and she was the most troublesome child that had ever been born! I was convinced at least… that this was my calling in life, chasing that little rugrat around until the sun went down. She had this uncanny ability to make me shit bricks when she was out of my sight, and why? Well because I loved her very much. She was my little sister after all… she had "big bwuther" wrapped around her little finger.

I had been back and forth around this town six times before I realized that a pair of tiny tennishoe prints were leading out into the trees that separated the town from the Oceanside a few miles off. This was bad… Lizzie couldn't swim but it had only been an hour since I last saw her (since mom put her down for a nap and she vanished). This happened most every day, but usually I was quick to find her because she herself wasn't very fast. However today, it seemed that I was too concerned with the manga I had been reading (barrowed by my friend Rosa; a sassy piece of work that loved to play tennis and make excessive scrapbooks of foreign pokemon and places) and didn't notice until now. Mom would kill me if I didn't find her… and my father would probably kill her for killing his favorite son, but still!

"LIZZIE!" I wailed, hopelessly running into the trees, following that messy path of footprints as they teetered about. I could nearly see them moving before me, running away from my voice because let's face it, little sisters liked to do that. Little sisters liked to do everything they weren't supposed to do…

Tree branches swatted me in the face, tugging on my hair as I went, clamboring about some of the more rocky terrain and stumbling over the roots that insisted on tangling my feet. There was only so far I could go so fast—I didn't want to accidentally miss her.

"Lizzie!" I skidded to a stop as the footprints veered off course, down a shallow dip in the forest path. I gasped, narrowly avoiding falling on my face and getting a mouthful of mud, but rather tumbling in it and smearing the dark soggy brown stuff through my hair.

"Shhhhh! Bad big bwuther. Be quwiet." A familiar soft voice came followed by a sharp poke to my forehead. I opened my eyes with a small groan, looking up to see my unruly four year old sister before me.

"You're in trouble." I muttered, pushing myself up with my arms. My whole back was covered in mud now, not to mention the obvious blood coming from my temple from where a root must have scraped me. "Why do you always run away!?"

"Shh!" She pushed her stubby hands in front of my mouth. "There's uh…zowmbie!"

I blinked; face twitching in disbelief as she stared down at me with her large pale grey-blue eyes. She looked rather pale now that I noticed… and that meant that even though there was not a zombie, she still believed there was.

"Lizzie what are you talking about? It was probably just a pokemon." I glanced around, wondering if any wild pokemon even lived this close to the town. Or had I run further than I thought? After all the beach was only a little ways off—I could see the rolling grey waves on the sandy shoreline in the distance.

"Nuh uhh!"She shook her head as I rose, trying to wipe the mud off of me, but smearing it instead. "Come on! I show you." She grabbed my finger before I had the chance to tell her otherwise, and started pulling me along.

"Lizzie we don't have time for this… Mom is worried." I said as she dragged me through the last layer of the trees and down another shallow dip onto a short stretch of off white sand. I blinked, fighting the pale but still bright morning sun.

"Wook Bwuther." Lizzie whispered, pointing at a large fallen log that had either washed up on shore or been chopped down some time ago. It looked to be decaying slowly from the salty water, turning the dark brown wood into a crusty canvas of white. I scowled, leaning down to knock gently on my sisters head.

"Since when is a log a zombie?"

"Nuuh!" She pushed me for daring mess of her perfect ponytail. "On da uwder side."

I sighed. "Alright… I'll go look, but STAY HERE!"

"Shhhhh!"

I waved her off, rolling my eyes and approaching the log swiftly. The sand here was softer than anywhere else on the shoreline around here, and I enjoyed the way it felt between my toes and under my achy feet.

There was no zombie though. Lizzie was probably just making it up—or maybe a heap of seaweed had washed up on shore or something. Or it could be a pokemon, though I heard nothing until I was right there before it, planting my hands on the dry part of the bark and leaning over.

"Zombie?" I huffed under my breath.

But it was not a zombie, to my concern, it was a living breathing person tucked between the log and the sand on this shore, facing the ocean with—holy hell—the tip of his thumb placed ever so slightly between his lips. I stared in wonder, concerned about the way he was covered in sand and wore only a pair of board shorts whilst it was still cold in the early mornings here. And more importantly than that, he looked to be more knocked out that actually asleep—perhaps he had gotten hurt?

"Hey! Hey Zomb—I—I mean… wake up!" I reached around the log and gently touched the teenager on the shoulder—he looked to be about my age, maybe a year or two younger at the most, and he had the strangest features now that I noticed.

His nose was a button on a perfectly knitted doll face, and his eye lids looked to be naturally a shade darker than the rest of his skin. He had a slightly squared chin, but a soft feminine jaw line, which made no sense until you could truly see it. But was amazed me most was that he had the strangest freckles around his cheeks and over the bridge of his nose. It was as if someone had airbrushed the on, rather than being natural. Another strange feature was the harsh, black lined tattoo on his right shoulder, which was the should I touched now, dislodging a bit of sand and feeling just how sticky his skin was—had he been in the ocean? He was ice cold.

"Wake up!" I insisted, loud enough so that the boy shot up, unexpectedly knocking a huge shell from under his arm. It tumbled down towards the water, squabbling slightly until I realized that he had been sleeping with a pokemon next to him—though it was a pokemon I had never seen before, and surely not a pokemon from around here.

"Wh—what?" he blinked rapidly, causing grains of sand to fall like from his hair and eyelashes like rain. His face twisted in confusion, looking around the shore for a second in mild frustration before his eyes fell on mine.

He had milky brown eyes… the color of mocha, or light chocolate, rimmed with pure black lashes. I was actually taken back for a brisk second, bending over slightly as if I was going to offer him a hand—but was too stumped to realize it yet.

"BWUTHER NUUUH! THE ZOWMBIE!" Lizzie squealed from back up in the trees, unaware that there was really a boy beneath the mud and the sand and his crusty hair.

"Uhh… are you ok?" I backed up a pace, wondering if maybe he was a sort of zombie—one that ate the coherency in the pit of peoples stomach and left them with a rather forceful bunch of butterfree instead. I swallowed, smiling sheepishly.

"Y—yeah." He blinked, shakily pushing himself to his feet and folding his arms around himself to hold in any warmth that was left. I noticed now that he was short and lean—only up to my shoulder, but his voice proved me right about his age. He must be fifteen or sixteen.

"Kukui!" He perked up suddenly, whirling around in realization.

"Squrr…" The shell-inhabiting pokemon rubbed its face lazily, sniffing and then coughing because it had sand in its mouth. Its trainer sighed in relief, turning and looking back at me again.

"What kind of pokemon is that?" I asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of my neck and feeling like my face might crack if I tried to smile any more innocently. "You called it Kukui?"

"Uhh… no that's her nickname." He answered. "Her breed is called a Squirtle."

The name was familiar but I had never known what it looked like before. My mind seemed to be piecing things together sluggishly, as if only now I realized that this guy must be foreign since he had a foreign pokemon with him. He also had a strange voice that couldn't qualify as an accent, but surely not something you would find here in Unova.

"That's so cool." I bent down, reaching out to the pokemon who eyes me with her large cat-like eyes. "Hi Kukui~ You're so cute!"

Her tiny mouth turned up in the corners as she held her masters ankle, resting her head against the side of his leg because she was groggy with sleep. I stuck my hand out to her and she rested the palm of her webbed one in mine, shaking liltingly to say hello.

"I'm Hyuu." I said to the pokemon, glancing up at the trainer and then standing and offering him the same gesture. "I live in Aspertia…the town through the trees a little ways."

"Me too." He put his hand in mind— and again I noticed he was freezing—"I'm Kyouhei."

"You live in Aspertia? I've never seen you around before." I commented.

He pulled away from me then, stepping aside as if he were going to just walk away like it was nothing. Like we weren't having a conversation. His face fell slightly, but his mouth was only taught in a polite kind of way. "I just moved in yesterday… with my brother, and he's going to be freaking out if I don't go home…so…"

"Oh yeah, yeah, no problem." I waved him off. "I understand."

"Thanks for waking me up." He said over his shoulder as he moved swiftly back into the trees, brushing more sand off his arms and shaking it out of his mop of hair while the small turtle pokemon half-ran after him.

"Zowmbie! Nuhh!" Lizzie squirmed in her spot by the tree, afraid of the strange boy coming closer to her.

Kyouhei stopped, cocking an eyebrow back at me and then at Lizzie again. "I'm not a zombie…"

I slapped my hand over my face. "Sorry, my little sister…"

He dipped his head awkwardly, stepping past her and waving to me once again, a slightly amused look on his sad face.

"We shoowd kiww it!" Lizzie stomped her foot angrily as Kyouhei vanished behind the trees.

"He's not a zombie…" I mumbled more to myself than anything. "He just looks lonely…"

…..

~Kyouhei~

"Touya!" I yelled, stumbling into the doorway and tracking sand through the pale wood flooring of his entryway.

I had gone out late last night after realizing that sleeping on the couch was hopeless, and that I felt too claustrophobic to stay in the house at all. No matter how spacious and roomy it was I couldn't quite grasp just how enclosed this world was, how cookie cutter the houses and the streets and the buildings were. I was all but shocked, but even more so on the pretentious walk home from the beach (which I had lazily bathed in nearly all night, missing the more rhythmic strokes of Mintoga Island's waves. Specifically off the village of Tilt, the waves would lap and crawl willingly at your feet, unlike here where they all seemed to push and pull and shove as if they were in a hurry to crawl up the short stretch of white sand and touch the woody trees that lined the shore a little way off.

It just wasn't the same, but of course, it was something, and being the optimistic guy I was I tried to look at the bright side. I failed miserably, but I tried none the less.

"Touya!" I called, walking into the living room and beyond to the kitchen. It was white and open, with glass cabinet doors that probably should be solid since my brother wasn't the neatest with his arrangements of spices and such. There was also wide French doors that lead to a small patio area where I could see my brother's Serperior soaking up the sun, scaled glistening all the while.

"Kyou?"

"I was—

"At the beach…" My brother came a moment later, rounding the entryway to the kitchen and sniffing merely. "I knew you would end up at the beach… that's why I didn't go looking for you."

I scowled. "I'm sixteen… so even if I wasn't at the beach you wouldn't have to look for me."

He shrugged. "True, but I guess it's just a habit."

"Habit of what? I haven't seen you in two years."

"I don't know Kyouhei, maybe it's just me being me." He huffed, stopping by the fridge door and opening it. I slumped over, exhausted and weary as he hid his face in the large chrome fixture. I waited, concerned with his appearance and his dishonesty from me.

"What's wrong with you?"

He didn't pull back, but stopped moving cans of soda around from the inside and pretending to look interested in something. I could see his shoulders tighten slowly, as if he were a wild pokemon raising his hackles.

"There is nothing wrong with me." He said stiffly.

I knew it was a lie… he was different now… something had changed him.

"You look like you were crying." I folded my arms, leaning against the countertop with Kukui standing at my side. She made a soft noise, telling me that it was wrong to fight with my older brother, let alone antagonize him. Who knows? Maybe he just had dry eyes in the morning? How would I know? After all I hadn't seen him in a year…

It felt like there was many things I didn't know about him anymore…

"I'm fine." He slammed the fridge doors with a snort, storming over to a hook on the wall and plucking a house key from it.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"Squirr!" Kukui called after him, not wanting him to leave me alone but not wanting to get in the conflict either.

With a small choked whimper I sunk to the ground against the cabinet.

Why had I come here?

WHY?


	3. Chapter 3

~Touya~

Well… I felt bad.

So fucking bad that I got sharp with my little brother that I went out and bought him the most expensive goddamn king size bed I could find and tipped movers extra just to get it to the house by tonight.

Kyouhei was… he was such a good kid, he always had been, and he didn't deserve the things that had happened to him in the last few months (our dad dying, him not having much option but to move here to Unova, ect). It wasn't his fault that things happened the way they did, but they did and that was that. I wished I could make him see… I wished I could make him understand that in life not everything was a day on the beach with a surfboard in your hand and a faithful pokemon at your side. Sometimes things just didn't work out that way. Sometimes life was shit.

I had seen pain, and sadness, and remorse, and even death in the last two years. It had all fallen under my thumb as well, and sometimes it just wasn't easy to cope with that. No matter how peaceful my life was right now, it truly would never be the same. Kyouhei was right when he said I changed… I had changed so much it actually hurt to remembering that once I was just an island boy like him.

Team Plasma had come not long after I started my pokemon journey two years ago, and it was at that frivolous time in my life that I experienced things far greater than most teenagers were able to. I was strong, arrogant, and sometimes irrational… but I had every reason to be. You see at that point in my life, no matter how many battles I suffered, and no matter how many wounded families I saw, it all had come down to one person. One shining reason to go on and make the journey that would save Unova.

I had done it all for N Harmonia Gropius.

Arceus I loved him so much. I loved him since the moment I saw him with my immature seventeen year old eyes. I had looked up at him (at the time he towered over me) and I had seen something surely not usual in a normal person's eyes. He had been powerful, straightforward, and yet so mysterious it boggled me. I couldn't be sure exactly what his part to play in my journey would be when I first met him, but of course I knew he fit in somewhere. I knew that we would be together—I knew that he would be mind one day.

He took me by the hand for a short summer, following me (or maybe I was following him) and taking me magical places I never thought I would dream of. The Chargestone cave, decorated in staticy blue gems and ripened black stone, thriving with colorful and friendly joltik that he called to him, chittering happily and listening to the way they "talked" back to him. Or the Dragon spiral tower, where I found that not only was I capable of climbing over ten flights of stairs in less than three minutes (running from grunts) but that I was also the only one in the region that would ever stand up to him. N was a beautiful monster… and I was his heroin. He kissed me on the ferriswheel in Nimbasa. At Twist mountain he held me, a long cold night in the higher altitude, stroking my hair because I had fallen very ill, and in those conditions it was all you could truly do. He had grabbed me by the waist in Opelucid City and made mind-blowing sweet love to me while the pouring rain and thunder outside our hotel room window blocked our cries. It was the most fearsome storm I had ever been in and yet the thunder and the lightening had fueled our bodies into perfect harmony that night... the night before I made my way to the pokemon league, and ultimately wound up battling him in the end.

He let me win… that's the only reason why I was the hero this region thought I was…

But then he left…

With nothing but a peck on the lips he turned and walking out of my life forever, leaving me stranded, alone, hopeless… in love.

Love is powerful thing...

But how was I supposed to convince Kyouhei of that? He wouldn't listen because he was stubborn and young, without any desire to be in love at all. He may not even know it yet, but there was a sort of invisible sign around his neck that told intimacy to get away from him. He was a repellant to love and I knew that trying to get him to sympathize with me was impossible. He just wouldn't understand why I fell in love in the first place. But since he had never felt it, it's not like I could try and explain it either.

Sometimes I felt like no one would understand…

Except N of course, who had sent me letters for a year with no return address, telling me he loved me, that he would never stop, but not allowing me to write him back or even know where in the goddamn world he was. I saved all those letters as well, worshiping them every day of my life until they came to an abrupt stop a couple months ago—and without any reason to stay with my mother's address anymore, that's when I decided to move out.

I sighed heavily, walking up the porch to my house and reaching for the knob. It shouldn't be unlocked of course, but I wouldn't be surprised if Kyouhei ran to the beach again and left it unlocked. Leave it to him to let someone break in; he always had a habit of not locking doors.

"Kyouhei!" I called, trying to sound normal as I stepped through the entryway, my feet scuffling slightly on the sand that lay dusted over the hardwood. I sighed under my breath, trying not to let a little sand bother me, but wondering if perhaps bringing my beach bum brother into this world wasn't the best idea. Not that I would ever kick him out or tell him to leave, just that he was going to have a seriously hard time adjusting to this place.

"Hmm!?" His strange island voice called back to me, making me feel like I was looking in a sort of mirror of my own past. I used to sound like that… I used to have the same kind of island atmosphere… but the cities of Unova had completely wiped that side out of me.

"Hey…" I walked swiftly towards his voice in the house, heading in the direction of his bedroom where I found him sitting against the windowsill, just staring out into the mountains beyond our house. I knew he was looking through the trees, trying to see the only beach that we had around here, which was relatively secluded and lonely.

"Hey kid." I took a deep breath, leaning against the doorway as he turned and looked at me, his large brown eyes looking tired.

"I'm sorry." He stated, but I could tell that was all he planned on saying.

"I'm sorry too." I dipped my head slowly to him."I wish I could make things easier for you… so… what do you want to do?"

He turned his head slowly back out to the window, looking as if he were suddenly ten thousand years old in this modern house in this modern city in this whole freaking modern region. He was just… a sort of old soul who didn't look forward at all. He only looked back.

"Sleep..." He finally murmured, ignoring the fact that there was no bed in his room yet—it was still being delivered this afternoon.

"Go sleep in my bed." I shrugged, turning and moving to leave the empty new room. If there was anything I knew about Kyouhei, it was that when he was upset it was best to leave him alone, and so that's what I did, stopping only to remind him of my pudgy eccentric friend coming tomorrow. "Oh and… Bianca is coming tomorrow with a pokemon for you…"

"Are you trying to get me to go on a journey?" He asked me, just loud enough so that I heard him out the doorway. I stopped, concerned and turning back to see him pouting stubbornly.

"If you want me to leave I will go back to Tilt."

My heart sank. "No… Kyouhei, you know I don't want you to leave. I'm happy you are here… I—I just know that you don't like it here. I'm trying to make things easier for you but you don't seem to understand."

The last thing I wanted my little brother to think was that I didn't want him around. It was such a lie considering we were best friends growing up; and yet I hated to see him this way that if he wanted to go back to the island I would let him. This Kyouhei was not the fizzy dare-devil child that I once knew, but rather a depressed moping heap of angst. All I could hope for was that he would come to his senses soon and realize that this situation could be a good thing.

But looking at him… I saw a dilapidated flower, begging for the sun and the gentle rain and the lapping ocean shores around him. He was craving that sun-bleached white sand between his toes and his hair blowing in the breeze. The poor kid…

"You know what I don't understand most?" He sighed, unable to look at me and staring out the window. "Why our parents got divorced in the first place…"

I didn't want to watch that flower die inside him anymore; I wouldn't… if I could help it. Gently I came forward, taking a deep breath and setting myself at his side, cross-legged and staring out the window as an early spring breeze rustled leaves about the neat little mountain terrain from Kyouhei's window.

"I can't be sure…" I told him. "They were very good at hiding things…but I do know that they only wanted the best for us. Do you remember how often they were fighting?"

Kyouhei nodded slightly. "Every time Mom left the island, Dad thought she was cheating on him."

I blinked, wondering how two people could have so little faith in each other, but then remembering that N had stopped writing me a while ago and that… to be honest I was losing faith in him as well. Every day of my life I woke up wondering if maybe today would be the day I saw him again, or if my mother would call me saying that a letter came addressed to me, since I used to live under her address. Of course I hated this waiting, and it stung like a nettle thorn in my heart, but I couldn't bear to stop believing… someday…

"Mom and Dad just weren't meant for each other." I murmured. "She was a tourist and Dad was deeply rooted to the island… like you."

Kyouhei looked like he was caught between smiling sadly and downright crying. "You were always more like Mom…"

I perched my lips, considering this, and knowing that deep down he was right. My mother had been a flightless bird on the island, and after a while of that seclusion she realized that she had to spread her wings and fly—even if that meant leaving her husband and one of her son's behind. I had gone with her, and thus I realized that yes, I was much more like out mother than Kyouhei was. Though I couldn't say that he resembled much of our father either (the only thing they had in common was how much they loved the island.) Kyouhei was independent and vulnerable in a sense, and yet he was also the most rock solid person I had ever met.

"You know Kyouhei…" I shook my head, trying to discourage myself, but finding it very difficult. "Even if I've always been more like Mom… I don't think that's the reason I came to Unova in the first place."

He looked at me in confusion. "Then why did you?"

iN Harmonia Gropius/i I said to myself. That was my very reason. "Because I had a destiny to fill…" I told Kyouhei. "Because if I wouldn't have made that decision then Team Plasma would have destroyed this whole region."

"So you don't regret anything?" He asked. "Nothing at all?"

My heart swelled with regret for losing the one person in this world that I loved so much it killed me to be apart from him. Regret for letting someone so powerful have that kind of control over me to begin with. And regret for not being able to tell my little brother the truth about how I fell in love and that's why I was so different. Surely I was regretful of a lot of things… but what kind of example would I be setting if I let Kyouhei believe that?

I smiled cheerily. "I've had my ups and downs, but ultimately no. I don't regret anything."

He sniffed arrogantly at me, seeing through my pretense and shuffling away, pushing up against the ground and turning to leave. "I hate when you smile like that." He grumbled. "I know you are lying when you smile like that."

I sighed.

Just when I thought things were getting better…

…

~Hyuu~

"Have you seen him around?" I wondered, sprawled across Rosa's bed with my head hanging down towards the floor. "He just moved in yesterday, I'm sure! This morning was the first time I saw him."

Rosa dangled with me, though trying unsuccessfully to flick pieces of popcorn into her mouth as a movie played in the background—we weren't watching it.

"Sounds like you want to have sex with him." She scoffed. "Do you even know his name?"

"Kyouhei." I said slowly, letting the sound roll off my tongue.

"What kind of name is that?"

"I don't know…" I shrugged. "He looks like he is from an island."

"Is he buff and or tan?" Rosa suddenly grew interested, quirking her head at me and enjoying the thought of foreign boys in her town—she had a serious taste for exotic accents and looks. Like one of her favorites features was a Sinnoh nose, which happened to be the ugliest bird beak kind of nose I had ever seen.

"He's tan." I scowled. "But not buff. He's also pretty short, and has a crazy amount of hair."

"Eew." She rolled her eyes. "Like you?"

I stuck my tongue out at my childhood best friend, scrunching my nose up immaturely and shoving her gently—just enough so that she toppled over onto her head. I scrambled back up into the bed smoothly, flopping on my back and sighing again.

"Shit! The popcorn!"

"I've never been this interested in someone before, Rosa." I ignored her cries as the bowl fell over her into head, scattering the little pale yellow puffs all over her carpet.

"No! You little fucker!" She gasped along with the sudden dramatic panting and squabbling. "Go! Bad!" she scolded her growlithe puppy, who shot out from under the bed to lick up the popcorn as fast as he could. I laughed, looking over the edge of her bed as she fought with the pokemon, shoving her fingers shamelessly into its mouth full of little white puppy teeth to dislodge a kernel.

"Poor thing." I commented.

"Shuddap Hyuu, what were you saying anyways?"

I rolled lovingly into her massive piles of pillows, flipping one over my head and blushing a cheesy grin as she hopped up next to me and collapsed down.

"So you have a man crush." She rolled her eyes. "So what? It's probably because there isn't anyone else our age in town."

I nodded. "Maybe." But not really…

Rosa filled up her cheeks with air and blew out dramatically, her long dark brown hair swishing against the blankets. "Now I wanna see this kid… we should go to beach. You said that's where you saw him right?"

I pushed up and looked at her. "Really? It's already like ten O'clock though."

"Has your mom ever minded you being out late before?"

"Umm… yeah, actually."

"HAH LAME." She shoved me playfully. "Come on, we can say we are taking the little shit for a walk."

I grinned. "At least you're supportive."

"Well… not exactly." She got up and smoothed out her "hobo" (as she would call it) little cotton shorts. "If he's hot then it's not like I'm wasting my time right?"

I slapped a hand over my face. "Rosa, he's shorter than you."

She slumped dramatically. "How old is he?! Ten?"

"No. He's probably our age. And you are tall too, so how can you justify that?"

She flipped me off, being particularly touchy about her height (since she was taller than me), and bending over to clip a leash onto the collar around her pokemon's neck.

"Come on. Before I change my mind."


	4. Chapter 4

~Hyuu~

Well I wasn't about to admit how optimistic I was about finding Kyouhei on the beach… but considering I was trekking through the mountainous path through the trees to the small muddy bank before the very short patch of sand AT TEN OCLOCK AT NIGHT, well… I guess I was pretty optimistic. That was just who I was though, to begin with I was a very "glass half-full" kind of guy. I liked to believe that the bad always out ruled the good, and that when worst came to worse, it was still truly going to be ok.

Rosa agreed with my on this philosophy, but she didn't sport it quite the same way. She would bitch and complain about damn near anything—her Growlithe puppy or the moon in the night sky, it didn't matter, there was always something. But that didn't make Rosa a bad person, it just made her more sensitive to things that were bothersome; like the plant twig that ripped her shirt just before we reached the beach.

"If you don't stop looking at me I—I'll!" Rosa threatened, though she was trying not to laugh as just my gaze alone tickled her. I cocked my eyebrow up as she cursed dreadfully at the fingertip size hole, talking to it as if it would hear her.

"It won't fix itself." I shook my head, watching carefully as I plucked my way down the short ravine into the muddy dip before the sand. It sloshed and squished under my feet, making it hard to stand upright without losing your balance.

"Hey I know what." Rosa snorted. "Screw you too."

I laughed halfheartedly, peering across the white sand before me and out to the log that I had discovered Kyouhei under this morning—which felt like years upon years ago. There was a faint silence coming up, stronger until Rosa's retort hid itself in the sound of the waves sloshing up the shore. I breathed a long soft breath and let the smell of the salty water coat the back of my tongue like a blanket. This was an area that not many people knew about, and so nature still took its toll on you when you came here—just to watch or look out at the sheer beauty of it all.

My eyes reverted back and forth as I looked about, seeing the next wave come in off the ocean bathed water, hiccupping around the log and telling me that Kyouhei couldn't be sleeping there again because he would be disturbed by the water. My heart fell, ever so slightly in knowing that he was probably not here. It was stupid of me to think that maybe he would be as well… I sighed, heavily, shoulders slumping forward slightly while Rosa perched herself behind me, leaning on my side and scrunching her face in disappointment.

"You sound as if you just watched someone kick your little sister." She commented.

"Rosa…" I shook my head, giving her a look of disapproval. "If someone dared kick Lizzie I would unleash my RAGE on them."

"Oh no, not the rage!" She rolled her eyes before leaning down to unclip the hook around Growlithe's collar. She spoke in monotone to the pokemon. "Go on little shit. Run free!"

"You are so mean…" I crossed my arms, feeling sorry for the pokemon since Rosa insisted every day of her life that she hated it with a burning passion (she hated fire types all around with a passion) but having to deal with it since it was her families pet. Her mother was all about raising dog pokemon, and that had made Rosa hate them in return—what she wanted most was a "precious little skitty or Persian. Or a strong leipard." (her words, not mine). We watched as Growlithe took off running, oblivious to its trainers dislike and just happy to let its tongue loll in the breeze.

I didn't mind dog pokemon or fire types, though I preferred things with more serene and grace than this particular clumsy Growlithe.

"I'm not mean… he's lucky I don't abuse him." Rosa defended as the yappity little thing stopped in the soggy sand a little ways up the shore, tilting its nose up to the moon and letting out a slow, rolling growl and a mighty bark.

"You're the kind of owner that throws the stick and leaves." I frowned, watching Growlithe get chased back up shore by the next large wave coming in.

"Oh shit, look, Hyuu!" Rosa nudged me swiftly, ignoring my eyes focused on her pokemon and turning me in the direction of something else a little further into the water.

Slowly but surely the breath was drawn from my chest.

Striding forward in the knee deep water was an unfamiliar boy, foreign to these waves and yet dominating them with such strife. He waltzed as if the waves broke around him—as if he was a part of them. The seriousness on his face was magnificent, and the way his wetsuit hung down at his waist, unzipped and carefree as it dangled off of his slender hips, revealing the flat narrow expanse of his chest and the solid lean muscles of his arms. He drew a hand up, running it through his sopping hair and shaking everything- even the stars from the sky—and the stars in my eyes—as the moonlight shone down so boldly, igniting his tan skin into looking pasty and chilled. He held a long black surfboard in his opposite arm, letting it rock with the motion of his waltz as it too dripped with saltwater passion. The palm trees danced at his arrival, swaying as if he were Moses parting a modern Red sea, making even Growlithe stopped barking as he approached, too far to judge the confusion on his face and too close not to know if he was angry or worried for the pokemon.

"Hyuu…" Rosa whispered, sounding quite coherently inept, and setting a hand on my shoulder. She ducked behind me slightly as if she were hiding.

"Hmm?" I barely squeaked.

"Go get your pokemon." She hissed in my ear not a moment before shoving me as hard as she could, using the full force of her long arms and talentless strength. I tipped gasping as the sand came all too quickly out of the narrow dip I stood in. Mud slipping between my sandals and toes alike I squabbled, burning with embarrassment as she made her great escape into the trees and left me floundering like a beached Wailord, ultimately attracting attention from both the Growlithe (who came trotting over to the rescue) and the stunning young beach boy.

Was I gay?

"Hey… dude are you ok?" the intense and slightly accented voice called out to me. My eyes turned up to see him also trotting forward as I sat back on my knees, spitting the grit out of my teeth from the sand. He tossed his surfboard down swiftly, giving himself another shake.

Yep. I was gay.

"I—I just… uhh… tripped over the dip there." I shook myself off and got to my knees, noting to kill Rosa later for putting me in such an awkward spot. There was mud all over my pantlegs!

Kyouhei stared down at me, eyes narrowing slightly as the moon shone behind him, enormous in the blackened sky. "Oh… hey you are that guy from… this morning right?"

I nodded, standing and brushing the sand out of my hair with a cough. "Yeah… I uh… I accidentally let my Growlithe get out and he ran here."

The happy little pup yapped at my feet, pawing them expertly as if I really was his owner—at the very least Rosa gave me a reason to be here (even if it was pathetic). And surely enough there was a dull throb in my chest telling me to turn tail and leave because—he just looked so powerful before me, tainted in goosebumps—though he did not shiver, and licking the harsh pang of saltwater from his lips as he breathed at me. His eyes were a milky soft brown that looked smooth—like chocolate mousse.

"Oh well…" the boy murmured. "I was just… surfing…"

"You aren't home sleeping?" I commented, remembering just how late it had been when Rosa and I left to come here in the first place. Shouldn't we all be asleep though? I flushed slightly for being hypocritical—and judging by his expression he didn't quite get the joking in my eyes (curse me for having the strangest, dark crimson colored eyes. People weren't used to the way they looked on me).

"I slept a lot earlier… so I'm not really tired and…" he paused, seeming to realize he was going to give away some kind of secret. I smiled crookedly, flashing my sandy mouth and then stopping with a frown because that was unattractive.

"I guess I just don't feel like being at home." He shrugged at last, toughening up and shaking off the sadness in his gaze. He turned to go back towards his surfboard, holding his slender shoulders back, almost as if he was trying to be rude so he wouldn't come off as nice. Did he think he had something to prove to me? I wanted to laugh, considering the pout on his face was amusing until I noticed the familiar loneliness in his eyes from this morning.

"Why is that?" I asked, following him, humoring the angsty way he walked and talked.

"Well… I should rephrase. I would love to be HOME, but not at my brother's home."

"Do you guys not get along?" I asked. "Who is your brother anyways?"

Kyouhei turned then, giving me a nearly shy look—as if he was either ashamed of his brother or completely non-trusting of me as a person. I hoped it was the first one… considering I thought I was pretty cool. I mean… why wouldn't I be?

"Uh… Touya Black." Kyouhei looked away.

"Oh, I don't think I've see—WAIT?" my eyebrows shot up as I put two and two together. Kyouhei here before me… the way his eyes were set on his gentle cheek bones, and the button nose and carefully sculpted lips, it was just the same as the Unovan hero, who happened to go by the name of Black.

"Black?" I asked in awe. "You mean… THE-?"

"Yes yes." Kyouhei sniffed indifferently.

Even though I wanted to stop right there and ask him how he could possibly hate his brother when his brother had saved this whole region from turmoil two years ago, but they way he looked told me he didn't hate his brother at all, but rather he loved his brother very much.

"I know what you are probably thinking." The freckled boy sighed. "I should be honored… but the thing is… Touya was the best brother in the world before he became this… hero. And now everything has changed…"

I looked patiently at him. "I—I don't really understand…"

He stopped by the log that I found him under early this morning, sinking down to sit on it with his board stuffed into the sand far enough so that it could stand on its own—it was rather short in comparison to the surfboards I had seen on television before, but considering I was more of a snowboarder myself (something I did seasonally every year), I couldn't judge for sure.

"I haven't seen my brother in two years." Kyouhei murmured.

"Well then aren't things bound to change? I bet you have changed in the last two years too…"

He shook his head. "Trust me… the first major change I've ever undergone is this." Gesturing with a fluid wave of his arm he pointed all around—at the trees, the ocean, the dip in the muddy ground where the trees met the sand, it was all a part of this so called "change".

"I've lived on a tiny island my whole life." He stared out at the sea. "So… I'm just not used to the big city here."

Big city? What was he even talking about? Aspertia town was relatively small to be considered a city. I frowned. "Why did you leave your island?" (Not that I wasn't glad he did—I got to meet him this way).

He shrugged. "I—I guess I thought it was just the most… mature thing to do. I lived there with my dad for the two years that Touya lived here with our mother—they got a divorce, so it split us up… We were best friends before he left and I thought maybe coming back here… at least I could still have someone that understood me… but he doesn't. He is completely different."

This was a whole lot to take it for a first encounter, and I found it all a bit more personal than a normal person would just tell someone. Could it be that he needed to vent? Someone his age to talk to about the things that were bothering him now that he had left his single and only piece of mind? He left his island for this place on his own will, but he certainly didn't look happy about it. He was disappointed, but then again it had only been a few days since he got here.

Suddenly I found myself grinning at him. "Well maybe you just need a friend?" (cough cough ME).

He sniffed again. "Maybe…"

Wait… did h— was he OBVLIVIOUS?

With a small grunt I stuck my hand out to him, gesturing for him to shake it. "I'm Hyuu."

He looked at me suspiciously again, though his milky eyes lightened ever so slightly, and a chill rolled up my wrist and into my shoulder and chest as he slipped his damp, small hand into mine. "I remembered from this morning."

"And, Kyouhei?" I asked him as if I didn't already know—it was kind of impressive that he remembered my name when all we had exchanged this morning was names.

This time it was more personal than that though—we exchanged handshakes, something that I felt was a connection far deeper than that of a

"Right." He nodded once at me, pulling his hand away and then reaching around to the other side of the log to grab something.

"Are you going back to surf?" I murmured.

"OH hell no." his face turned down into disapproval. "That water is cold."

I waited; slightly disappointed that I couldn't watch him ride the magnificent waves that crawled lazily at our feet. One managed to touch my bare toes at this point as well, signaling that he was right, and the water was very, very cold.

"I'm used to warm beaches." He shook his head, pulling up a pair of—to my amusement—bongos that looked as if they had been beaten to death and then reconstructed.

"You play those?"

He stopped, his hands hovering above the small platforms of natural material, only to turn and look at me—this time a sly look as if he knew something that I didn't know. I perched my lips, looking innocent as he turned up his perfect little lips into a breathtaking smirk.

"Of course." He murmured. "It's an island thing."

…

"You were totally undressing him with your eyes Hyuu—no, you were RAPING him with your eyes!" Rosa howled with laughter as I shoved her unruly Growlithe through her bedroom window at her—she hadn't even left me the leash to walk it back with, and after leaving early to walk home alone (I couldn't stay on the beach with Hyuu all night like I wanted to.) I was pretty much done with the whole situation. She was right when she called Growlithe a little shit—that's exactly what he was.

"Would you stop?" I shook my head at the way she let the pokemon fall to its face on the floor, whimpering slightly when its nose got smashed, releasing a puff of smoke that I secretly hoped would set off her fire alarms.

"Are you in love?" She leaned over the windowsill, ruffling my already mess hair.

"Seriously, stop." I batted her hand away. "It's just a crush… probably like you said… cus there's no one else around like him."

"I think this is so great!" She folded her hands over the sill looking at me her hair let down for the night. "Little Hyuu's gay."

"Screw you Rosa." I rolled my eyes, turning to leave. "And next time don't you dare leave me with that pokemon again!"

I had to ignore the obvious kissy noises she made at me as I walked stiffly away from her house and around to the front where the gate was—which was also blocked by their hostile guard pokemon, Mighteyena. Luckily the pokemon liked me enough to allow me to bend and pet it, allowing access through the gate and out onto the main street where I could see a clock perched above a small bakery shop across the way. My heart sank, but this was an inevitable situation.

I knew I was going to be late… therefore my mother would probably beat me.

But that was the price I decided to pay on this beautiful night.


	5. Chapter 5

~Kyouhei~

"You look better." Touya commented as I emerged from my bedroom late the next morning (actually it was afternoon but whatever), rubbing my eyes and stretching my arms above my head as the crisp spring hair made me feel tight and chilled. I wasn't exactly partial to wearing clothes, so the minimum was always more my style. In this case though, I felt as though I should have brought my comforter with me into the kitchen.

"It's so cold." I chafed my hands against the tops of my arms as Touya was putting together lunch. Kukui was hovering over him, sniffing at an orange that was cut in half. My brother nudged it towards her simply, and I didn't miss the smile shared between them as my gentle squirtle started nibbling on the citrus.

"It's beautiful out." He laughed slightly, flicking his hair out of his face in the direction of the open windows. If there was anything about Touya that remained from the island, it was the fact that he always seemed to have his windows wide open (and then he would complain about the door not being locked as if someone would break in).

I shook my head. "You are not from the island if you think this is nice."

Touya turned then, looking at me with a relatively genuine smile on his face—it actually reminded me of the way he used to look at me. "Are you by any chance in a good mood today?"

I perched my lips, trying to rationalize my sudden happiness. Of course I still missed the island and I felt lost here, but I wasn't as lonely as of waking up this morning. I didn't know why.

"Well… that bed is pretty nice." I allowed, assuming that a good long sleep had been part of the reason—I hadn't much since I got here. And what I said wasn't a lie, that bed Touya got me WAS nice, actually more than nice, it was huge and should be considered illegally comfortable.

Touya laughed shortly at me. "I'm going to have to leave in a while to go help Cheren do something, so will you be ok finding Bianca on your own? She has a pokemon to give you remember."

"I remember because you keep reminding me." I nodded. "But I don't know this town…so…how will I find her? And I don't know what she even looks like?"

"Well…" Touya began, putting a grape in his mouth and chewing considerably. "There is a girl that lives down the street from here, her name is Rosa Mei, and Bianca is also bringing her a pokemon today, so maybe you should go talk to her? You two can go together."

I frowned. "You aren't trying to set me up or anything are you?"

He snorted a laugh, as if it was somehow the most hilarious thing I had ever said. "No! Oh Arcues no, Kyouhei… Don't be so hostile."

I crossed my arms, pouting slightly. "You know… I never asked you Touya. Do you have a girlfriend?"

He stopped then, nearly choking on his second grape and hiding his face in his arms over the counter as if he was going to spit it into the sink suddenly, repulsed by the question. His eyebrows pulled together slightly, and Kukui reached over to pat him in the back as if he really were choking. I waited, eyes narrowing as this was answer enough. He must have a girl friend if he had such a reaction to this. Suddenly I wished I hadn't slept in his bed, considering all the possibilities of his girlfriend and him in that bed and oh good heavens that is just—no. NO.

"No." he rasped. "I—I don't…"

"That's BS. Look at you." I scowled at him.

"No… I mean… I did…a long time ago…but… not now…" he went on, pushing ah and to his chest as he swallowed at last, grunting and then sighing. "I had someone when I was traveling… but after everything with Team Plasma… it just didn't work out."

I couldn't quite understand him… but none the less he looked like he was sinking down into a black pit of depression as we spoke, so I had to imagine that this was a touchy topic for him—why else wouldn't he have mentioned it before? I crossed my arms as he straightened up, running a nervous hand through his hair.

"What was her name?" I asked, making him flinch.

"Oh… Uhh…. Her—Her name was… Harmony…"

"Oh." Was all I said, trying not to imagine myself saying nasty things about how he should never have fallen in love because it wouldn't only cause trouble—and it obviously did since he was so different now. A pang of resentment for my brother sparked in my chest as I recalled a time when he was just as adamant about romance as I was.

"What happened between you?" I asked after a moment of awkward, thinking that maybe Touya deserved to flinch at my words for falling in love in the first place. It was his stupid mistake after all.

"I…don't want to talk about." He murmured softly.

"Why are you ashamed?"

"No I'm not ashamed!" a sudden, blast of fire lit up his face as my words stung like a hot iron in his heart. I could see his eyes swelling with moisture as he rounded on me, leaving the fruit he had cut up on the counter and leaving Kukui to leap after him. She landed, thinking that Touya was going to hurt me, on the lone countertop between us, sliding on the tile and then facing him with a stern gaze.

"Kukui." I set my hand on the back of her shell carefully, knowing that my brother wouldn't hurt me.

He was really only hurt himself…

Touya covered his hand over his face. "Kyou… I don't want to fight with you… but… try and understand."

I held my hands up in defense. "I know. I know. But I can't understand…"

"And I don't know how to make you." His piercing dark chocolate eyes gore in on me, much more powerful than the soft milky gaze I had.

"You can't make me." I shook my head stubbornly.

"Then let's just not talk about it." He suggested, turning back to the counter with the fruit on it and staring out the window. "It doesn't matter anymore anyways…"

I grit my teeth together stiffly, knowing that I did NOT feel sorry for my brother at all. Love was overrated… he saw the way it tore up our family two years ago when our parents got divorced, so it wasn't as if he went in blind—he knew the consequences that came with being in love.

Hurt, loss, betrayal. Those are such menacing things that anyone could avoid if they just simply DIDN'T fall in love.

"I told Bianca you would meet her around two, so you may want to start getting ready. And if want to go see Rosa, well she lives at the end of the street in the only two story house." Touya murmured, changing the subject all together again. He was always really good at acting like nothing happened.

"Right." I nodded, trying not to let our argument ruin my day—I actually woke up in a good mood so it would be stupid of me to let him change that. Not to mention that I was getting a new pokemon today, and at the very least that should make me happy.

I wrapped my arms around Kukui and pulled her into me swiftly, holding her back against my chest as she looked sadly after my brother.

"I'm going to take a shower." I muttered, but in the back of my mind I stored the advice he gave me. The only two story house at the end of the street…

I guess today I was meeting Rosa Mei.

…

"Kyouhei!" A familiar, friendly voice called out to me as I approached the last house on the street, which was also the only two story house and the house my brother recommended I go meet Rosa at so that we could go get our pokemon together. I found it antagonizing to knock on someone else's door when I had absolutely NO clue who they were or what they were like.

Surprised with my distraction though I turned, sinking my hands into my pants pockets and looking up to see that my new acquaintance was there, grinning and smiling hugely as always he did. We met on the beach and I found myself a little disgruntled by seeing him anywhere besides the beach simply because it felt more like the way people used to greet each other on the island. I pang of homesickness hit me at the familiarities, but I pushed it aside in remembering that this was a good thing—people SHOULD greet each other in a friendly manor outside of that island.

"Hey Hyuu." I flashed him my teeth slightly. "Do you know if this is Rosa Mei's house? I want to be sure before I knock…"

His face turned down just a notch. "Oh it is… How do you know her?"

"I actually don't… But my brother said that his friend Bianca was bringing her a pokemon today and that I should go with her because I'm also getting a pokemon." I told him.

Hyuu's eyes went from friendly to raging in envy in a heartbeat, and I was surprised by the way his lower lip jutted out ever so slightly. "Oh…"

"Is there something wrong with that?" I asked, turning back up the porch and stepping up to the doormat. Hyuu followed me carelessly as I rapped my fist on the door.

"Well you know… I'm jealous. I wish I were getting a pokemon… and this is your second pokemon too!" He was still smiling all the while as he spoke, showing that this was no hard feelings, but that he really did feel kind of left out. I waited as he bent beside Kukui, who was so quietly standing at my side, appreciating the way Hyuu pet her gently.

"How come you aren't getting one?" I asked. It seemed strange that only two out of three teenagers in this town were getting pokemon, when of course special starter pokemon usually came in bunches of three.

Hyuu shrugged. "I wasn't offered one."

"Oh… I'm sorry." I murmured as the door lock snapped open from the inside and swung open.

"Yo Hyuu—

I met the eyes of what appeared to be the most elaborate looking teenage girl I had ever seen. She paused, surprised at the new face before her, and flicking her hair around her back in content. She snorted a soft laugh, glancing at Hyuu, who glanced at me, and back and forth again.

"I—I heard you were getting a pokemon today…" I began.

"That's right." She eyes Kukui suspiciously, perhaps thinking that I was delivering her pokemon to her. I could see how that would look suspicious, but to my dislike her eyes seemed skeptical of my island water type. It was as if she didn't appreciate the flower on her shell or the freckles on her face—the only things that remained from the island we came from. In fact, she looked kind of smug and skeptical all around, eyeing us and especially me as if I was some kind of mysterious puzzle that had shown up on her porch, and not a person asking for friendly help.

"I'm getting a pokemon too, but I don't really know my way around town… my brother told me I should ask if we could go together." I said, though my self-esteem was crashing and burning quickly under her piercing muddy brown eyes. They reminded me of Touya's in a way, only more flat and antagonizing, rather than a deep reddish chocolate color. She had the longest dark brown hair as well—like the color of the little vile of vanilla extract that my brother had in his baking cabinet.

"I was going to go with you anyways Rosa." Hyuu spoke up, sounding strangled in a sense. I didn't miss the awkward flash of their eyes between them either—they knew something I didn't know? Or did they just silently agree they didn't want me to go? Should I know better than to expect friendliness from all the people around here?

Hyu and I had a decent time last night on the beach, listening to the waves and in his case, the bongos that I played so leisurely. We talked a lot about where I came from, which was nice because it was the first time I felt like someone appreciated the Island of Mintonga in a long time. Even Touya hadn't been that enthusiastic about it since I came back here. We talked about how I learned to surf at only four years old, and how I met Kukui after my brother left for Unova and my parents got divorced (which was a harder subject for me to explain, considering that it left my chest in ache). I told him about the sounds and smells and the people I knew, and how we all have freckles because the sun is just… different there.

Overall I felt like Hyuu suddenly knew me better than anyone else in the whole of Unova, which is still contradictory because my brother Touya should know me, but it felt lately as if I didn't know him at all, which made it hard to grasp. At any length though, Hyuu was a good person and I was happy when he found me because it meant I had someone with their hand on my shoulder if I needed support.

Like now.

"We can come right?" Hyuu said rather demandingly.

"Well that depends." Rosa let out a sly smile, looking down at me (she was the tallest teenage girl I had ever seen). "Who are you?"

I swallowed slightly, tilting my chin down and blinking up at her. "Kyouhei Black... My older brother is Touya Black…"

"The hero?"

I nodded, deciding that I hated telling people who my brother was. How could I ever be myself with a shadow like that over my shoulders? I wanted to be Kyouhei Black, not "Black's" younger brother. I already knew that this would be relatively hard for me, but I didn't expect people to know me for my brother. It was sad that I had to resort to explaining myself that way to begin with.

"That's cool." She shrugged. "And sure, yeah you two can come, but on one condition."

Hyuu and I looked at each other in confusion.

"I get first pick." Rosa Mei flashed her pretty white teeth.


	6. Chapter 6

~Hyuu~

Were they flirting? Or were they fighting? I couldn't tell.

"The mountains are cool and crisp, not sultry and humid. You know a little breeze once in a while can do wonders for that hair of yours." Rosa walked with Hyuu on the other side of her; me to the far left unable to see Kyouhei's face clearly, but not wanting to move to his right because it would be completely obvious that I was jealous.

"You've obviously never been to a real beach before." Kyouhei snorted. "When that ocean breeze blows… There's nothing like it…" his mild voice turned down a notch, sinking into a depressed and lost kind of silence. I peeked past Rosa and her bulbous hair buns that she pinned up on occasion, making her look like she had donuts on the side of her head, which I would never actually tell her because she would probably bite my face off.

"Don't act like you can just give me that as a reason. You suck at debating you know." Rosa folded her arms across her chest. "Hyuu, what do you think? Mountains or the beach?"

I shivered. What an unfair question! Rosa knew that I was infatuated with the mountains, especially when it snowed. She knew that I loved to snowboard and that there was nothing quite like it in my opinion. But of course she would have to go and make me point it out when Kyouhei was so obviously offended.

Holding my hands up in defense I shook my head. "Hey. This is your guy's argument, not mine."

"You're no fun Hyuu." Rosa rolled her dark brown eyes in the same fashion that she could roll her hips while dancing.

"I don't see the point in arguing." I murmured.

"That's because there is no argument. The mountains are always going to win." She retorted, sending a sly smile at Kyouhei, who ignored her, looking rather hurt and pouty. It was obvious he didn't have it in him to argue with Rosa—but then again, not very many people did. I frowned, watching the ground as it passed up by and thinking that it was rather mean of Rosa to pick on what Kyouhei loved even if she didn't know what he had been through.

He told me all about him the other night… and I had felt so close to him then, so why did he feel a million miles away right now? He didn't even look very excited to be getting a pokemon from the professor's assistant, the famous Bianca.

"What kind of pokemon do you think you will be getting?" I asked as we approached the edge of town where a large staircase was leading up to our single more stunning attraction. This town sat at the base of a mountain where you could see the whole of Unova looking out the binoculars stationed here. The only bad thing about it was the stairs you had to climb.

"Whatever one looks the strongest and or the sassiest." Rosa said, jogging swiftly up the first flight with Kyouhei and I following closely behind.

"If she always this mean?" Kyouhei looked over at me and murmured.

I shook my head. "No… I've known her since I was just a little kid. She warms up to people slowly and then she makes friends with them."

"Are you talking about me?!" Rosa flipped her hair around from the top of the stairs.

"We're talking about how much of a brat you are!" I yelled, walking fluently now at Kyouhei's side while his pokemon huffed and puffed behind us, unable to keep pace while the stairs were all a challenge for her and her short legs.

"You best shut your mouth then!" She laughed, ironically enough amused by my attempt at being sassy back at her. Of course that was the way it always was between me and her. Sarcastic remarks of friendship. I really did appreciate her as a person, and I—sort of—loved her like an older sister, though Lizzie was forever my number one.

Kyouhei bent and picked up his pokemon at last, making the journey up the stairs easier for us both as we took the last flight of stairs at a fast place, meeting with Rosa and then turning on the flat stone pathway to see that Bianca was waiting, holding a strange thing in her hand and grinning hugely at her new trainers. I groaned internally, wishing that it was me who was getting a pokemon today. I didn't even know how to get selected by that though. What made Rosa so special? I could understand that Kyouhei's older brother set him up with one since he was good friends with Bianca… but really, what about me?!

"Hello guys!" Bianca cocked her head to the side and gave us a teethy grin. "All excited?"

"Hell yeah!" Rosa skidded to halt in front of the professor's assistant. "What kind of pokemon are they?"

"Now, now. Calm down ok. You're journey isn't going anywhere!" She insisted, holding her package safely in her arms. "You guys need to know the point in this pokemon to begin with…Professor Juniper is giving you these so you will fill the pokedex for her. Now don't get cocky, there were many trainers chosen from all over the region to do this… but I specifically wanted to give you guys yours because…" Her large blue eyes turned down to Kyouhei. "I want to see your brother! I haven't seen him in ages"

Kyouhei looked as if he wanted to slap Bianca for saying such things, and I didn't miss the way his pale brown eyes rolled.

"Did you brother give you this pokemon?" Bianca wondered, putting her hand out to touch Kukui on the head. The squirtle tucked herself into the shell shyly in respose.

"No. She came with me to Unova from the Island I lived on." There was a slight discomfort in his eyes as he told her, as if he really wanted to say that he didn't need his brother to give him pokemon, that he was capable of getting them himself.

"That's very faithful!" Bianca looked oblivious to the tartness in his eyes. "Well then I will skip the intro on how to take care of pokemon, seems you already know."

Rosa wiped her brow dramatically, happy to know she wouldn't have to sit through a lesson before getting her first pokemon (she insisted Growlithe and Mighteyena didn't count since they were more her mother's than anything.)

I stood back sadly, looking at the third ball held in the strange cylinder container and wishing that it could be mine. Bianca was probably saving it for herself though… and I didn't want to ask because it would seem rude.

"Miss… Bianca." Kyouhei spoke up again. "Did my brother… by any chance tell you that he wanted me to go on a journey?"

"Of course!" She laughed. "I don't know an older brother in the world that doesn't want his youngest sibling to experience the world. And Kyouhei… Touya thinks very much of you, you should be flattered."

He didn't look flattered though… he looked rather lonely and ashamed as he hugged his beloved Squirtle, setting his chin atop her smooth head and sighing. Even Rosa seemed to notice that he wasn't nearly as happy looking as he should be.

Bianca either ignored it as she held the cylinder capsule out to the two trainers, or she was just so bubbly herself that his dreariness didn't break through.

"Who's first?" the assistant asked after a moment of silence, as if she wasn't expecting Rosa to nearly pounce on her in excitement.

"Me!" the long limbed spidery girl let her hands flit about the pokeballs as the capsule slipped open, releasing a smell that was the cross between shoe polish and new leather. "Can you tell me what pokemon is in which ball?"

Bianca grinned. "Absolutely not! That takes away the fun! But I will tell you that one is fire, one is grass, and one is water."

Rosa groaned, face twisting up into a weird position as she took this into consideration. Which ball to pick? Which pokemon would come out? How would she handle herself if she picked the fire type by accident (she HATED fire types).

My stubborn and sassy best friend stalled, making it all the more painful to watch because she seemed to be trying to see THROUGH the pokeballs. Her eyes darted back and forth between the three, often reaching for the middle on but finding that it was not for her and settling above the far left, then the far right, then back to far left where she set her slender palm atop it and closed her eyes. I inclined forward, blinking while she looked away and curled her fingers around the shape, plucking it from its spot and ultimately stepping back to let Kyouhei reach for his.

He held Kukui forward gesturing for her to pick the ball she wanted, rather than him picking himself, which got me wondering if pokemon could tell what was inside the balls or not. Kukui did not hesitate though, and she plucked the middle ball from its place in the cylinder as easily as if it were a berry from a tree. Her pale blue eyes shimmered as she held the ball up to her master.

"Did you pick a good one?" Kyouhei smiled softly at his pokeball, seeming to forget that he was initially upset or angry.

The two new trainers stepped back, leaving Bianca to stand alone with that one left over ball in her hand. She was grinning eagerly as she pulled it into her hand and tucked the cylinder under her other arm.

"This one is going back to the lab the—

I bit my lower lip, unable to contain just how much I WANTED that pokemon. I couldn't even explain it, but my eyes were drawn to that ball like a magnet, and it was almost as if I could FEEL what pokemon was inside. I blinked sadly as Bianca looked at me, her face falling sweetly.

"Juniper will be upset with me…" She sighed, looking down at the ball in her hand. "But… I can always catch another one."

My heart lifted as she held the ball out to me, shaking her head softly and letting it fall in the palms of my hands. My lower lip quivered ever so slightly, for some unknown and hidden emotion came over me and the feeling in my chest. I was taken aback by the flood of warmth from the ball, and just how heavy it was—solid like a slightly smaller softball, and perfectly sleek and smooth.

There weren't many things in life I liked to talk about, one was my ability to snowboard (since most people seemed to think I was showing off), and another was the fact that a few years ago a Team Plasma member stole my families beloved Purloin, breaking our hearts (mine especially since I had gotten it for Lizzie to grow up with).

This was the first time since then that I had felt a pokeball in my hand, and it seemingly fit well. Like a puzzle piece that connected two half-beings into a perfect whole. I shivered as Rosa nudged me teasingly.

"Getting choked up Hyuu?"

"No." I lied, shaking away the emotions and the rock that lodged itself in my throat. "It's just… You know how much I love pokemon."

Not just any pokemon though. MY pokemon, the pokemon that I could raise and love and never EVER let anyone take away from me. It was the pokemon that could be my best friends that I loved most. The idea of companionship and loyalty and faithful partners. I looked up, nudging Rosa back—one of those loving shoves that meant I knew what she was trying to tell me. She was happy for me; she knew just how much this meant to me.

"Th—thank you!" I said, hands shaking around the pokeball.

"Well what are you guys waiting for?" Bianca ran her hand through her neatly shaped hair. "Go on and open them!"

Rosa was first of course, I could have told you that would happen, but just how fast she threw the thing amazed me. She had some serious arm strength considering she played tennis four times a week for three hours at time her whole childhood until this past summer when she decided to quit because apparently playing tennis while PMSing isn't worth it—I hadn't asked for that knowledge by the way, but that's what she told me.

A flash of livid bright white light erupted before us, bringing with it the smell of fresh cut grass and perhaps some other kinds of flowers—sickly sweet flowers at the most. We all flinched in unison, and Kukui let out a fretful sneeze, dropping the pokeball that was chosen for her master and then covering her mouth with her small webbed fingers because she couldn't believe she just did that—an accident that Kyouhei stepped back from.

Smoke spewed from the balls rims as it cracked open and out popped a thick, solid pokemon on all fours. It snorted and huffed and drew its hooves against the stone ground in sudden surprise. A misunderstanding on our part, since Rosa dropped her pokemon in the same moment and a spindly looking leaf thing shot across the space before us, bowling into the fire pokemon—Tepig by obvious appearance.

They rolled, a heap of snorting and hissing and strong scents being thrown about as their bodies had been storing an oder inside the ball.

"Oh my!" Bianca stepped back, blinking wildly and pushing her red-rimmed glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose further.

"Oh YES!" Rosa cheered as her new Snivy pinned the pig pokemon with a vicious glare, screeching lowly while the thing squabbled about, looking for a sign from its trainer.

"Squir!" Kukui jumped from Kyouhei's arms, seeing this as unavoidable and dropping its hard head. She shoved Snivy with a single thrust, unbalancing the pokemon and letting it roll up into a leafy ball of surprise. Dust puffed up around the shallow scrape in its temple, being much smaller than the other pokemon and obviously not as strong by the looks of it.

"Kukui!" Kyouhei dropped down, pulling his pokemon back though it was only trying to defend the newest companion of theirs. Snivy retreated, teetering from the blow and slumping over onto Rosa's shoes with a huff. Tepig, much too shocked to understand what was going on, shook its wiry fur harshly, making tiny snorting noises and then turning its face up towards its savior—the lead pokemon of a sudden team of two.

I held my pokemon against my chest in surprise, keeping it well away from the feisty young Snivy that seemed to match Rosa's fire perfectly.

"Whoa… sorry… uhh… Kyouhei." Rosa murmured, though her eyes couldn't stop smiling from her pokemon's determination and fighting spirit. She bent and pulled the small nimble thing onto her shoulder where it had to cling to her donut bun not to fall off.

"Amazing little things huh?" Bianca was beaming, looking more carefully down at Kukui than anything. Was she surprised by how fairly a pokemon of a weaker type AND a foreign region faired against her lab-raised Snivy?

I looked down at my pokeball again, hoping that the water type I had received would be just as powerful as Kukui. From what I could gather it was Oshawott in my ball, and that alone made me happy. Not nearly as goofy and uncoordinated as Tepig, but not as hoidy toidy and snotty as that Snivy. It was a perfect neutral pokemon.

"No kidding." I murmured as the professor turned to gather her things, which she left against the ledge overlooking the region.

"This is crazy." Rosa rubbed her pokemon on the head softly, trying to ease the obvious knot forming just behind its eye. Kukui turned and looked back at Kyouhei, expecting to be scolded by being patted gently in appreciation. Tepig snuffled softly against his owner's knee where he bent and pet him. I could see that despite Kyouhei not being all that excited about having been given this pokemon, he was certainly enjoying it now. His milky brown eyes reflected happiness, and it was the second most beautiful thing I had seen come from the lost island boy (the first being the way he emerged from a black ocean in the middle of the night with a moon rising behind him).

I was struck yet again by the fact that I was utterly gay for this island boy…

"Hyuu!" Rosa thumped me in the back of the head because I had zoned out. "Hey aren't you going to let your pokemon out?"

I looked back down at my ball, rubbing my thumb against the sleek red top and sighing slightly. "Nah… I think I want to let it out when I get home so Lizzie can see…"

"That's nice." Kyouhei commented, picking up Kukui and returning the Tepig quickly. "I need to go home and talk to my brother about this…"

"And I should get her to a pokemon center." Rosa added, already turning heel and leaving for the stairs back down into town.

"Wait!" Bianca called after her. "Don't forget your pokedex!"

"Oh!" Rosa reverted back, grabbed the things and dipper her head in thanks once again before racing off.

"Here Kyouhei." She handed one to him as well before turning to me. "I only brought two because I wasn't planning on giving you a pokemon today... so I will have to mail you one once I get back to Nuvema."

I nodded. "Sounds great, and thank you again. So much!"

"Be careful with that little guy by the way." She added. "My best friend, her name is Touko, bred it from her prize Samorott."

"I promise I will." I grinned encouragingly; surprised that Bianca was even allowed to do that—would she get in trouble for giving me a pokemon like this without the professor's say so? I hoped not.

"Now come, Kyouhei, take me back to your house so I can talk to Touya!" Bianca smiled sweetly at the younger Black brother, her dimples showing slightly under the length of her red rimmed glasses.

Kyouhei seemed to flinch. "Bianca… by any chance… my brother never called you Harmony did he?"

Bianca let out a stiff chortle. "Uhh… No?"

Kyouhei only shook his head before moving to walk back towards the steps. "Bye Hyuu." He mumbled as he passed me.

"O—Oh wait!" I blurted unexpectedly. "W—Will you be at the beach tonight?"

His face turned up slightly, and I noticed some contemplation in his eyes before he answered smoothly. "Umm… yeah I will be. Eleven-ish?"

I didn't miss the way his words questioned me, as if he wanted to know if that would be a good time for my schedule or not. My face lit up in joy.

"I'll see you then!"


	7. Chapter 7

~Touya~

"Come on… it's not that horrible." Bianca rubbed between my shoulders simply, moving the extreme warmth of alcohol through my chest through my veins and down to pit of my stomach as her lithe fingernails scratched idly upon the back of my neck. Cheren sat IN my lap, nearly as drunk as I was, saying that Touko had been giving him the hardest time lately and that he wanted to go gay "right this fucking fuck of a fuck of a second."

"Nnng." I moaned, swallowing the stinging in the back of my throat and pushing Cheren in the chin, leaning into him until a sloppy wet tongue was exchanged on his lower lip. He growled throatily, unable to push me away but fighting to be sober in the mix of affection.

"N… Fuck you N, you fucker." I let my head fall back on the couch, slumping against Bianca's shoulder and hiccupping as she patted my feathery hair down. My eyes lolled.

"You boys…" She murmured. "Since when did you sink to this?"

Cheren humped my thigh pretentiously through his tight black jeans. "Since you girls fucked up my life."

"So harsh!" Bianca chirped.

"Nuh… nuh." I waved my hand to disagree. "Since lovers in general… fucked up everythi—fuck Cheren, you have big balls."

"That's my elbow dipshit." He pulled back, though thickening his dry stride against me, working up a boner beneath the material.

"Mmnn… Bianca… Kyouhei?"

"He went to the beach an hour ago." She flicked me on the ear.

"Ow." I shook my head, though remembering now what this evening had gone like. Bianca had given Kyouhei his pokemon and then came back here to talk to me, which had been horribly awkward since I haven't talked to her in over a year. All until Cheren came over that is, and made everything all the better with chatter about how Touko, now his ex, was getting involved in things far more dangerous and hare-brained than a relationship with a nerd gym leader. Touko was a wild thing, an AMAZING trainer, and one of the best friends I had ever had. Sure we made out in Cheren's shed the night before our pokemon journeys started two years ago, but that was water under the bridge—that was before I met N and realized just what love really was.

N… the reason I was so prone to drinking with my sob-partners on a night like tonight when my brother went to the beach with his new "acquaintance" as he called it. Apparently we had another teen that lived a few streets over in this moderate town that I didn't know about, but Kyouhei had made friends with him two nights ago and well—hell I felt left out. Why didn't Kyohei bring him over?

I strung myself up on Cheren , pushing my face into his neck and letting out a low hiss as he grinded harder against me, wondering why he couldn't get hard. Didn't he know that being wasted made it hard to get aroused?

"Would you two stop already!" Bianca insisted. "I didn't come here to watch you make out like—oh—oh you're really doing it." She trailed off as I sucked on Cheren's tongue, biting his upper and lower lip and wishing that this scene were turned around. I shouldn't be on top for one, I should be on bottom and he should be N, ravishing me until no tomorrow because let's face it… N was the king of all ravishers.

"TOUYA BLACK!" the professor assistant raised her voice, using her limited strength and pulling my dead weight from Cheren. She pushed me over, knocking a drink off the coffee table along the way. It tumbled and rolled, sloshing home-made strawberry daiquiri on my wood floors. Groaning I landed in it.

"Touya I know you love N! So stop sucking Cheren's face!"

Cheren groaned, his mind clouded with alcohol. "Yeah… you homo. Stop."

What the fuck…? What the hell had I become?

Shaking my head stiffly I got to my feet, slinking up against the couch and using it to brace myself so I could walk to my kitchen. I needed some water—something to clear my head just a little.

Bianca was completely right as well. I only loved N… but of course this was how it tended to be while I was drunk. I was out of control. O.O.C as Touko used to call it, and that girl had a way with alcohol. She turned into a super whore when it intoxicated her, so for her to judge me… well you get the point.

I was no stranger to alcohol.

There was only a couple paces left to fridge when I slipped and fell, crumpling and wilting as if gravity had intensified on me in just the right—or wrong depending on how you look at it—moment. Dilapidated I swayed against the cabinet, hand swatting at the independent lock that rested against the handle.

It was my box. My box of everything that once was.

Sobering for a mere second I was able to unlock the thing (but only after some great effort), and slide out the large container from inside. I had shown Kyouhei the newspaper articles of myself, but I had specifically kept the ones about N hidden far beneath so that he wouldn't get suspicious. I dug, eagerly as I hiccupped, finding and pulling out the long strip of pictures I took with N on the Ferriswheel Ride in Nimbasa a about two years ago.

The first box was us together, smiling perfectly, blush touching our faint cheeks. The second was us with our arms wrapped around each other, laughing and me tossing my head back in glee. The third was him kissing me on the forehead, so vivid as the memory was, it leapt at my heart and tore out the nickname N had given me right from my chest. Blackie, he used to call me; "Blackie Baby, look at the camera so we don't miss out last picture!"

I had missed the fourth and final picture though, because I had closed my eyes and kissed him so smoothly with my arms around his neck it actually hurt to look at.

Staccato breaths erupted in my chest, hiking their way up my throat as I threw the picture aside and pulled the box into my lap, digging to the bottom again—this time to retrieve the stack of letters he had sent me for over a year before suddenly one day they just stopped—only a few months ago.

My hands trembled and tears fell as I un-bound the crinkled pages and flipped to the first letter.

iJanuary 14th

To: Blackie

I'm sorry my love. I'm so sorry. But I want you to know that I am safe, I think of you every day, and I love you. I love you so much, but I can't risk putting you in danger anymore.

Love: N Harmonia/i

The second letter…

iFebuary 1st

To: Blackie

Hello my love~

I understand that this had been a hardship for you, and I want you to know that I am doing fine out in this big bad world right now. I'm meeting all kinds of new pokemon, and im staying hidden while I can. My father has put out a search warrant however, and I know that as soon as I get comfortable Team Plasma could potentially find me. That is why I have to stay away from you.

But I love you.

I still love you…

Love: N Harmonia

P.S.—I've sent you a few pictures that I saved of us from our journey together last summer… I hope you enjoy them as much as I have./i

I was sobbing on the floor now, nose dripping and eyes pouring as I plucked out the two yellowing pictures that N had sent me so long ago. One of us together in front of the Chargestone Cave, and one of us together, kissing, under the light of a giant blue stone in the cave.

"Touya…" Bianca's soft voice came, followed by the gently clicking of her flats on my floor.

"I—I MISS HIM SO MUCH!" I wailed, pulling out a third letter.

iMarch 8th

To: Blackie

Lately… I feel very alone… but I want you to know that if it's ok with you, I would like you to be happy without me. Team Plasma is getting closer… Ghetsis is hunting me and his Shadow Triad are smart and fast. There is one member in particular, his name is Tate, and though he is not the leader of the group he is reckless. He watches me with ice cold silver eyes and I can't help but feel like every time my back is turned he has me cornered. I haven't slept in weeks…

I miss you…

I love you.

Love: N Harmonia/i

The letters went on like that for the rest of the year, and three months into the next year which brought us to March again, which is when the letters eventually stopped. Unable to bear the burden of such heavy heartfelt letters I assumed it was because N had been captured. That silver-eyed hunter must have caught him and returned him to Ghetsis once again…

It was at the very end of March that I left Nuvema Town to come here to Aspertia, where now I had my brother back, my best friend running the gym, and a box full of empty promises staring me in the face. N said he loved me… he told me in every letter and then some. Between his every line, even in the margins I could see the pain in each pen stroke. He had been through so much and yet he claimed he did it for me.

Everything N Harmonia did was for me.

And there was nothing I could do to return that favor to him—or at the very least send him a letter back saying I loved him as well, and that I missed him.

But of course that was irrational. N would never give away his position to me, because he knew damn well that I would come find him, and in that sense we would get caught.

But maybe together would could win… after all we had done it once before…

I sobbed into Bianca's shoulder, letting my tears fall like rain on the letters and pictures sprayed out before me on the kitchen floor. Cheren came in as well, forgetting his own problems for a moment and forgetting that I so ruthlessly made out with him, only to come and comfort me while he could. As my childhood best friends, Bianca and Cheren were only a numbing syringe deep in my miserable heart.

"Things will get better…" Bianca insisted, though tears clogged her eyes as well.

Cheren and her sandwiched me, the smell of alcohol wafting between us as I damn near lost my mind, my sanity, and every piece of my heart that was still standing.


	8. Chapter 8

~Kyouhei~

"It's not that hard." I murmured. "Just brace yourself and get in!"

Hyuu stood frozen on the shore with his bare feet halfway into the white sand while I was knee deep in the ocean, Kukui at my side and leaning over the edge of my surfboard, waiting to go for a ride. Yes the water was freezing and my balls felt like raisins, yes I was idiotic and crazy to try and teach someone to surf at night, and yes I felt like this was probably going to be a horrendous failure… however, Hyuu couldn't even get in the damn wetsuit!

Not even the water. He couldn't bring himself to brace for a moment and let the chilly night air nip at his skin just to get into the damn suit.

"Maybe I should just go in my shorts?" The dark navy blue haired teen suggested, holding his arms crossed over his chest as if he had something to hide—I didn't understand, we were both guys here. And of all guys to be ashamed over—Me? Me who grew up surfing on more nude beaches than you could count? I could understand this was a foreign world to Hyuu, but for Arceus sake!

"Dammit Hyuu! Just go change in the trees over there and hurry up!"

"Alright!"

I sighed, unable to comprehend the strange ways of this—dare I say—new friend of mind. He was bashful to say the least, flushing a horrible red when I stripped down in front of him and put on my own wetsuit, unfazed by anything but the temperature until I managed to get a little water into the material to warm me up. Hyuu acted as if he had never seen a dick before, let alone having one of his own for the last sixteen years. I didn't understand.

"He's a weird guy huh Kukui?" I whispered to my pokemon, listening to the ever so faint curses coming from beyond the layer of trees separating the forest from the shallow white beach.

She nodded in agreement, though her eyes had been focused elsewhere since Hyuu had gotten here. Her large cat-like eyes were focused on the one and only Oshawott that inhabited this beach, being Hyuu's new partner and faithful companion. I didn't understand this either, considering Kukui was always on my side even when it concerned falling in love (which was strictly forbidden!), and yet she couldn't stop swooning over the pokemon, acting as if it had something to offer her—when in reality it ignored her completely. I had to assume maybe she just wanted to battle it, to ease the idea of her having any sort of attraction to the handsome water pokemon at all.

At least she didn't have any attraction to the fire pig pokemon I had been given today. Tepig, who I had named Huko—which mean "heart, bravery, courage" and other things like it—seemed to enjoy her far more than she did him, but I got the feelings it was because he was weak to her type. The fire pokemon kept its distance whenever Kukui was near water or playfully blowing bubbles into the air. Or maybe Huko was just thankful that she had defended him today when Rosa's Snivy attacked. It could be that… but I wasn't sure.

"Alright I put it on…"

Hyuu stepped out from behind the trees now, bringing me out of my current thoughts. The wetsuit was halfway up his chest, and he zipped it more tightly, shivering and then moving to tie the stings on his shorts, which he put on over the suit. Again… I didn't understand him.

"Good." I murmured, focusing on my own bit of warmth from the wetsuit in this sea of cold. "Now, I advise you to piss yourself."

"What!?"

"Well you have to have liquid in your suit to get it warm, and the ocean water is freezing so…"

Hyuu shook his head. "You are so weird."

"I could say the same for you."

There was a moment of silence as I stood knee deep in the water looking up the shore at him while he stopped, letting the little rippling waves to lap at his toes while he considered his options. Did he really think that peeing in his wetsuit was weird? I guess I thought it was normal because I had grown up on the beach doing such things—not that I was exactly proud of it, I just didn't care, and I would rather not freeze to death.

"Would you just hurry up?" I leaned over my surfboard in frustration, thinking that despite telling him we would surf tonight, I DID want to get some sleep—whether it be on this beach tonight or not.

I wasn't sure if I planned on going home tonight because Bianca, Professor Juniper's faithful assistant, was either spending the night at my brother's or at Cheren's, and if it wound up being Touya's house I wanted nothing to do with the possibilities of them having sex. Maybe Bianca wasn't "Harmony", or maybe they were lying and she really was, but it didn't matter, the fact is… she was still a girl and my brother was still a young man with hormones to flourish in.

I didn't trust him. I didn't trust him or anyone else that was eager to love and quick to heartache when love didn't work out.

"It's so c—cold Kyouhei!" Hyuu fretted over to me, cringing and twisting his face up in pain as the icy water lapped at his thighs.

"Yeah it is." I agreed, though my lower half was already immune to it. "Let's dunk."

Hyuu shivering, teeth chittering like those of a ratatta's, shook his head at me, as if he couldn't believe what I had just said.

"Oh come on. You wanna learn how to surf right?" I reached out to him, setting my hand simply on his shoulder. "Ready."

"N—No."

"Wimp."

"Kyou…" He whined.

"Wimpy wimpy wimpy~"

"Stop mocking me!" He insisted, though I could see his eyes sparking with a strange sort of delight, something that said he was more amused by me trying than I was at his failing.

I stopped, unable to bear this waiting any longer, and squared off to him. "Kukui…"

The lovely little squirtle, now lounging on my board perked her head up, a single almond shaped eyes cocking upright mischievously. I nodded once at her.

"No! Kyouhei stop!"

Hyuu was the one stopped though. Stopped by Kukui's heavy water attack, spraying him from head to toe in an instant. He let out a low shocked moan, shivering and then slowly recovering as the wetsuit adjusted to his body temperature. However much though, his lips were still turning blue.

"Th—that wasn't fair." He shook.

"Stop being a baby. Now, I'm going to show you how I surf ok." I waved him off swiftly, turning to my board and pushing it out in front of me. Kukui stood on it, eager and balanced as the waves rolled in the distance. They were all small around here right now, so I would have to swim out a ways to get to rideable ones, but that was ok. Less danger in smaller waves made up for the swim.

"Watch ok?" I called to him as I began paddling out. "It's all about timing and balance. You have to catch the wave just before it breaks, and you have to know where to plant your feet on the board so it doesn't slip out from behind you."

Hyuu nodded, rubbing his spiky wet hair back so it didn't flop over into his eyes.

I waited, leisurely padding about until I could see the thick roll of a black wave in the distance, heading forward at me as if it would engulf and devour my soul far beneath its icy depths—which was very dramatic of me to think. Waves didn't want to devour anyone; waves were more like big creatures you could ride. They only looked rather threatening.

Smiling slightly at the sight of such a wave I pushed forward, hiking my body up onto the board and waiting the last second before it slipped beside me, parallel to my board and pushing me back as I jumped up, straining my calves and turning back to ride the low swoop down eagerly.

My hand slipped against the side of the wave as it broke around me, sending a glorious array of crystal like water droplets into my hair and making me shiver. Kukui let out a faint but glee-filled cried.

I closed my eyes, slowly but surely feeling the water beneath my fingertips and around my face as the wind ripped beneath the current. It spiraled, pulling fourth the memory of hot summer sun on my back and warm tropical air engulfing me. The island of Mintonga in its most precious days; days when I was once inhabiting the shoreline and surfing with none other than my brother—before he left for two years to come to Unova.

It was so sweet and succulent In my mind I nearly wiped out as the wave broke and we went drifting in, me crouching on the board as Kukui turned, raising her small webbed hand and smiling hugely. We high-fived, both finding comfort in such ocean waves.

I wondered if the waves on Mintonga somehow managed across the ocean and found us here.

"Kyouhei!" Hyuu's voice found us then, a little further up shore where I had started.

I smiled softly, remembering when Touya and I used to surf together and that this would probably never be the same—Touya wasn't the same—but knowing that at least Hyuu was here as my friend.

"That was amazing!" Hyuu yelled as I kick flipped off the board and into the water, sinking low in the sever coldness and letting the pins and needles nip at me. I flinched, but not entirely in a bad way. My chest felt tight, but somehow happy.

Breathing heavily I broke surface and took my board, cast my feet out behind me, and started to swim back up to Hyuu.

…

~Hyuu~

Kyouhei must think I have a fear of wetsuits or something… But… that wasn't it at all.

Wetsuits were ok, except that they emphasized your body and I was a little disgruntled by the fact that I was… how should I say? Rather large in my southern regions, swollen from when he shamelessly stripped down and put his own suit on.

Was it bad to say that I liked the show a lot more than I should have? Kyouhei had a lanky but firm body. He was not bulky or broad or even thick, but he looked strong in my opinion; like he was perfectly capable of standing up for himself if need be. His hips were lean and flat and smooth, with nothing but a careful line of brown pubes running from just under his belly button to rest above his small and sensitive dick.

How I had looked at him naked and not embarrassed myself was beyond me… but I did know that it had affected me in other ways, and if it weren't for the fact that this damn ocean was so damn cold, I would have probably soiled myself by now.

Kyouhei was magnificent on the surfboard; like a whole different person. He looked peaceful and serene, yet beaming with power as if it was his ocean and he conquered it. He tamed those wide black waves with nothing more than skill and talent. It was his forte, his dream, his home…

Now me on the other hand… I couldn't even manage to stand on that piece of sleek black wood, and Kyouhei insisted that we don't stop until I got to know what it felt like to truly ride a wave.

"Ok… ready?" He murmured, laying across the top of the board with his legs spread in a sort of frog-like position. His wetsuit fitted butt was in my face, but I didn't exactly mind. "As soon as I jump up you need to as well ok?"

I nodded, tightening my hands on the tail end of the surfboard and waiting as a looming, vicious wave came forward.

"It's just a little one…" Kyouhei huffed under his breath, sounding bored or disappointed.

Little!? It looked like it could eat a house from this angle!

"Ready…" Kyouhei ducked as it reached us. "Now!"

Using all my strength I hauled myself up and onto the board behind Kyouhei, teetering as it threatened to buck me off.

Kyouhei gripped my wrist tightly and yanked me forward, pulling the weight more into the center of the board where he stood, and not allowing me to move an inch as the wave picked up. I slumped partially against him, heart racing because this was suddenly much, much more than just an ocean wave. This was the experience of a lifetime.

Kyouhei…

The tunnel of water grew around us, sloshing at our slightly unbalanced feet and making the board wobble. Kyouhei snorted setting his front foot at a fourty-five degree and angle and trying to turn us back to where we started.

For only a second or so… maybe three at the most, we stayed planted together on the board, me fearing to fall AGAIN, and wrapping my hands around his shoulders. He let out a high island call of some sort—a language I couldn't understand—but somehow I found that it wasn't all that unpleasant. He was having fun, something I hadn't seen from him at all.

And then of course we crashed.

Because the world was just that cruel.

We went spiraling backwards, him landing on me and then sinking into the water with me and Kukui dove over the top, avoiding the crash and gracefully diving into the ocean before the board shot out from under her. I held my breath as tightly as I could, but sucked in a nose-full of saltwater anyways, making everything in my nasal cavities sting like the way your toe did after you stubbed it on the couch.

Spluttering I broke surface, gasping out and coughing. "Ky—Kyouhei?"

He lay halfway over his board, panting with a small smirk. "Well that was… almost decent."

I shook my head, loving the way his milky brown eyes gleamed. "One day I'll teach you how to snowboard… it will be like payback." I advised with a cough.

He flicked his hair out of his eyes with a small laugh. "I'll stick to un-frozen water thanks."

With a little effort I set my arms on his board and stopped fighting to find the bottom of the ocean.

"Ready to go again?" He asked as my eyes closed in exhaustion. It had to be way into the middle of the night by now—not that every second wasn't worth it.

"I don't think I can stand on my own…" I admitted in defeat, secretly hoping he would ride with me again.

"Aww… yeah well… technically you did ride one so, maybe we should just go back to shore?"

"It's probably really late…" I added with a spark of sadness in my chest. Guess all good things come to an end. "Plus I look like a prune."

He chuckled kindly. "Yeah, Hyuu. You really do."


	9. Chapter 9

~Kyouhei~

Shivering Hyuu and I made it to my house, which was a closer distance to the beach we spent our time together on. Apparently Hyuu lived further into the city than I did, and his house was smaller and less attractive. I had never seen it personally but I didn't know what to make of that. When someone referred to my house I still automatically assumed they were talking about my home back in Tilt village, so it was an inept conversation considering that I lived in a cozy three room shack that would make Hyuu's average house look like the Indigo Plateau in Johto.

"Thanks again Kyouhei." Hyuu murmured, holding onto his Oshawott as I had my groggy squirtle in my arms. The two water pokemon smiled weakly at each other as we turned.

"No problem." I felt myself returning the soft gaze he sent me. At the very, very least, it was nice knowing that I had a friend in this town. And more so than that, someone that was willing to listen to my stories about the island, and train their water pokemon along-side mine, and learn to surf with me. I couldn't explain it, but it felt like this was going to be a good thing.

"Well… I—I guess I'll see you later." He dipped his head once, intending to turn only to find that Kukui had grasped Oshawott's paw between her webbed fingers and was looking strangely longingly at the pokemon. My heart crashed and burned in my chest, and before I could think clearly I was ripping Kukui away from the male water type.

"No Kukui." I scolded gently. Didn't she know that love was no good? Didn't she know that liking someone only resulted in disaster? She may not have been there to see my parents get divorced, and she may not have known Touya before he changed into the stranger he was today, but I thought I had made it simple and clear when I told her numerous times it was like winning at a losing game. Short and sweet as it may be, the aftermath just wasn't worth it.

"What?" Hyuu, obviously missing the interaction looked down at his pokemon in concern. "Is something wrong?"

"Uhh, no, no." I swallowed awkwardly. "It's nothing."

"Oh…kay? Well, then I will see you around." Hyuu turned for good this time, waving over his shoulder and leaving me to climb sluggishly up the porch.

I got inside after fumbling with a key Touya gave me earlier, only to find that he and his two friends, and Serperior were coiled up on the couch together, sprawling about as if they had just been put through a tornado and were too weak to move. The living room smelt heavily of alcohol, the house was cold in a sense were Touya must have accidentally put the air on too high, and Cheren was hiccupping in his sleep. The lights were still on.

I stared in repulsion, wondering how or when or why this happened. Just because three friends get together doesn't mean that they have to throw a misery party and drowned themselves in booze. A glare crept across my face as I shuffled past the trio, patting Serperior softly because she was obviously in the mix only because she was concerned about her master. Poor pokemon.

Speaking of pokemon, Kukui and I were completely exhausted, unable to think clearly as we made it into the hallway and down to the furthest bedroom, which was my room with an enormous bed and bland furniture and un-painted baseboards. But I was ok with this, because for the first time since I had gotten hear I felt somewhat satisfied to just crawl into the mass of fluffy white comforter and clean sheets and just sleep. It was about time too, this was a feeling I had been missing since I left the island of Mintonga.

I stripped myself of my wetsuit quietly and wrapped my arms across my chest as I stumbled into the bed, disregarding the excess sand between my toes and clinging to my ankles. I didn't always sleep naked… but I guess that just happens every now and again. Kukui joined me swiftly, jumping up and resting herself on the pillow next to mine. She tucked herself into her shell and blinked goodnight sleepily.

Huko on the other hand was hesitant, unsure of his place in this trainer-to-pokemon relationship, and not nearly as exhausted as Kukui and I were.

"Mmm… Come on Huko." I patted the bed limply, signaling for him to jump up.

He snuffled softly, making tiny snorting noises as he hurdled himself up the side of the bed and settled to curling up against the small of my back—which was actually extremely warm and comforting. He was like a small furnace above the comforters.

Lulling me into sleep.

…..

~Hyuu~

"R—Rosa calm down!" I insisted the day after Kyouhei and I spent the night on the beach, living it up with not a care in the whole world. It was morning at the moment, a little after ten, and my mind was still swimming with memories and sweet dreams from the night before.

Rosa called me in a rush, blaring the house phone practically off its hook and making my ears bleed because my mother was already out for the day—her job working in a shop in town while our father was a business man all the way out in Sinnoh. I had stumbled out of bed, ignored Lizzie's cries for me to pour her juice (she wasn't allowed because she tended to spill everything), and answered the phone just before it went to voicemail.

Then Rosa went off, talking about Flocessy Town and how beautiful it was all wrapped up in farm fields and the pokemon she had encountered (apparently one of the farmer's around town offered her a Mareep to raise) being amazing. To be honest I hadn't even known that Rosa left for her journey already, and it stung me in the heart to know that she would just up and leave without telling me. She was my childhood friend… I would have assumed we would go together…

But of course, rash as always I should have known that Rosa wouldn't wait for me, and even if she had told me I wouldn't be able to go with her because I didn't have my pokedex yet. I had to wait until it came in the mail before I could get out into the world to explore.

"No Hyuu, you calm down!" She was panting. "You're not going to believe this bu—but I just—I ran into someone from Team PLASMA!"

"WHAT?" I recoiled, shaking my head to get rid of the idea in general and then finding that Rosa, however bold and brave, would not make up a story. But honestly… team Plasma? They were disbanded two years ago by none other than Kyouhei's brother, the great Black.

"You must be mistaking…" I rubbed my forehead drearily. "Rosa maybe he just looked like Team Plasma…"

"Big Brwuther!" Lizzie clung to my leg, the empty cup in her hand as she was irritated with my delays.

"Hold on Lizzie." I stepped away from her, intending to hear Rosa better.

"That's just it though Hyuu, he didn't look like Team Plasma. I had no clue until he TOLD me that he was!"

Now that was just crazy. Why would anyone admit to being a part of Team Plasma? That was basically asking for jail time. It was like wearing a sign around your neck that said "I did horrible things to people and pokemon".

"Rosa that's…. You must be crazy. Are you sleeping enough?"

"Big BWUDDER!"

"Lizzie stop!" I insisted, though noticing out of the corner of my eyes that Oshawott was on top of it. What a life savor that pokemon was, tiptoeing out of the kitchen with a glass of juice in its hands. I didn't even know how he was so smart or coordinated—the only other pokemon we had was a purloin that couldn't seem to do anything other than lick itself.

"Yes I'm sleeping enough!" Rosa growled. "Listen if you don't believe me then you don't believe me… but I'm telling you it happened."

"It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that maybe… you heard wrong." I suggested, anticipating the slap she would give me through the phone.

"Hyuu!"

"I'm sorry!" I threw my hand up. "I just don't understand. What was the Plasma member even doing?"

"He was stealing a pokemon! A Herdier from a farm over here! And I stopped him." Rosa's tone changed from angry to proud in an instant. "He didn't really put up a fight, but he practically begged me not to get him in trouble. Which, of course I would if I knew WHO to tell. I thought you would understand but if you can't even believe me then—

"I do believe you!" I nearly moaned.

"Well then what are you going to do about it?" She murmured. "I know how much you hate team Plasma, don't act like you're just going to sit there and do nothing."

"You're right Rosa, I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing. I'm going to sit here and wait for my pokedex because that's all I can do."

"You are so lame. Lots of trainers leave without a pokedex."

"Yeah but you never heard of them succeeding. Rosa, I'm sorry. I got to go."

She let a strong exasperated sigh before hanging up. I could nearly feel the way her eyes rolled from the other line and to be honest it bothered me more than it should. Rosa may have seen a team Plasma member but… what did that mean? Was it just one stray member that was trying to start something on their own? Had the group already been salvaged? I couldn't begin to think of the things that could happen if this was serious, but… I didn't WANT to think it was serious. I wanted to believe Rosa was just over-exaggerating or misunderstanding.

I also wanted to ignore the fact that she told me anyways because I had things to get done around here—like satisfying Lizzie and cleaning up so my mother didn't get mad when she got home later. Not to mention my heart wasn't satisfied with last night being over, so I felt the need to wallow for a little while, assuming that I wouldn't see Kyouhei until possible tonight again—though he didn't mention going back to the beach this evening. My heart fell slightly as I hung the phone up and turned back to see Lizzie, who was sitting in front of the couch sipping a cup of juice with Oshawott in her lap.

"Big Bwother…" She set the cup down and pat my pokemon on the head carefully, gently as she used to with the Purloin that we lost years ago to none other than Team Plasma. "Why you a zowmbie?"

"I'm not a zombie." I murmured.

"You wook like one." She disagreed quietly. "Did the udder Zowmbie bite chu?"

I sighed heavily. iI WISH Kyouhei would have bit me./i

"No Lizzie."

"Oh." She went back to sipping her juice easily.

This was going to be a long day.

…..

~Kyouhei~

"Come on Kyouhei, get up." The low gruff voice of my brother came, followed by the bright mid-day light of spring.

Groaning I rolled over, kicking the blankets off of my in the same process because it was so damn HOT. The familiar feel of sand on my body scratched aimlessly at my hips and toes and made it hard to get comfortable. My eyes tightened together before they opened and I could see that Touya was hovering over me, running a hand through his hair and yawning.

"I wanted to take you out to see something today." He mumbled before eyeing me suspiciously. "Any reason why you are naked?"

"I could say the same for you." I mumbled half-heartedly, unable to cope with the way the light cast in through the meek white blinds.

"I've got boxers on."

"Wha—oh." I blinked down at my exposed crotch uselessly, forgetting that I had been too tired to get dressed last night after surfing with Hyuu for so long. "I was too tired last night." I rolled over again, covering myself and accidentally knocking Huko off the side of the bed in the process.

"Get up, come on. I want to take you somewhere." Touya said as I shoved my face back into the pillows.

"Hnnng…."

"Stop it you lazy bum, I was up late last night too."

"Why do we have to go now? And why aren't you hungover?"

Touya stifled a laugh. "I—I'm no stranger to alcohol Kyouhei. It's pretty much all me and my friends did after victories when we were traveling."

I felt sick as I realized more and more about my brother that I never would have expected. Touya was a mama's boy, he was always going to be the one that didn't drink or do drugs or have sex like a wild mankey every weekend—so why did he keep telling me things to make me feel like he did? I scowled into the pillow before accepting this, and raising my head.

"Can I drink?"

He cast me a long look. "You're only sixteen… but… hell if you wanna drink then go ahead."

"You're just saying that so you can be the cool big brother." I pouted.

"Hey I have news for you, Kyouhei I'm your ONLY brother, that means that I'm the only cool one you will ever have, it's not like there's competition." He smiled a beaming grin—that same fake grin that I hated.

"You're lame."

"If I'm lame then you are a brat. Now come on." He reached over, gripped both my ankles tightly, and yanked hard so until I was clinging to the bed for dear life, wanting to kick him and flailing about when he tossed my naked ass on the floor.

"Squir!" Kukui wailed from the bed above me, suddenly waking and blowing a stream of her more dangerous bubbles at my brother. He withdrew, flinching as they stung his skin and then holding his hands up in defense.

"Sorry! Sorry!" He insisted to my pokemon before she stopped and hopped down to me.

"But really Kyouhei, come on."

"Alright." I picked myself up off the floor. "I'm awake… Arceus. What the hell do you want to show me anyways?"

My brother grinned again, unfazed by my retorts and my desire to kick him. "Flocessy Ranch. Which just so happens to be where the rest of my pokemon team are kept."

"And…?"

"And I don't suppose you want to pass up meeting Zekrom?"

"Who is Zekrom?" I muttered, humoring him and having made my way to the dresser where my clean clothes were stuffed. I pulled out the first matching things I could find and hung them over my arm, waiting for my brother to shut up before leaving the room for the shower I needed so desperately. Salt and sand still sat in clumps through my hair, and even though I liked the smell of the ocean I didn't like it after sitting in body odor all night. Huko was too warm to lie next to all night and expect not to sweat.

Touya huffed meagerly, shaking his head. "You will find out."


	10. Chapter 10

~Touya~

"Let me introduce you…" I went on, head in a slight daze from the lingering alcohol as we walked the fields to the ranch where my exclusive pokemon team was being cared for in luxury, two pokemon being treated with physical therapy every day so that they had hope of becoming normal again after what happened two years ago. "Zebstrika, and Sawsbuck."

Kyouhei stood back, eyes wide with dismay at seeing the three legged striped pokemon, who had given its all to win against Ghetsis so long ago. Literally, the pokemon lost its leg fighting a feral dragon with three heads, and it would never truly be the same, but it was still my partner, my pokemon which I loved so dearly.

I dropped by his side, trying not to remember the blood and the wounds, and the fire and the storm going that night when I battled Ghetsis to take down Team Plasma. It had been two years and yet I still had nightmares of that horror. The pokemon that had died—the pokemon I had no choice but to kill. It was a horrific time, and I had my fair share of night frights and memories that still haunted me till this day. I could only imagine how much worse they were for my pokemon. Zebstrika had been crippled so badly that his leg was amputated and he barely survived. Now he spent the ladder of his days waiting for technology great enough to supply him with a robotic leg to come. Hoofed pokemon could only just survive on three legs, unlike a dog pokemon that could still run freely and balance itself.

My hands grazed the pokemon's thick head gently, and I sighed, just as I always did when I saw the remainder of the warrior I once knew. Zebstrika and I had been through so much together, considering it was the first pokemon I ever caught on my own. Its tattered battle scarred body was nothing but a sight to see now, a victim, a savior, and a hero that had gone out in vain.

Sawsbuck on the other hand, had been spared the use of her legs, but had not been so lucky under other circumstances. Her face was brutally deformed, burned off by an incredible heat that came unexpectedly from an electric pokemon. Ghetsis had spared us no mercy in damaging my pokemon—my partners and my best friends. Sawsbuck was blind now, with deep pink and fleshy scars running across the area her eyes should have been. Her flank was also burned, and one of her antlers was slightly shorter than the other, never blooming with the seasons like her normal one did. It was as if someone had killed that part of her foliage.

"Why did you bring me here?!" Kyouhei, overwhelmed with the sight of my two hoofed pokemon lying together. They were both damaged and lost in a sense, but they had one thing in common and it was the one thing that had them working day by day just to survive. They had each other. They two were mates; though never breeding they loved each other more than ever in their time of need.

I looked back up at my brother, who was too insightful not to know where these wounds came from. His eyes reflected horror, the things he knew but could not say aloud. Was this hard enough for him?

He had been far too groggy to notice the obvious old scar on my shoulder this morning. If he had seen it (and one day he would) he would know that not only had my pokemon given things for me, but I had given things for them as well. I taken a blow in place of Serperior at the very end of the battle, when Ghetsis unleashed a Bisharp. The feral thing came crashing down on me with horrendous strength, a power that would have cut my pokemon's lean muscled body in half and rendered it by death. But rather I stepped in the way and allowed such force to come cutting through my shoulder and cracking the bone of my collar.

It was the second most painful thing I had ever been through—second only to losing N after he told me he loved me and kissed me goodbye while I bled out on the Plasma castle marble floor, waiting for death to handle me. Serperior stayed by my side, using the rest of her strength to wrap the wound that would have killed me, using her long tail and squeezing hard. Zebstrika had thought to have been dead when Cheren finally showed up and brought help, but through my agony I had managed to get someone to take the pokemon to the center where it could be treated. It barely made it out alive—like me. Sawsbuck was the same, barely alive but still fighting.

I went into surgery, Zebstrika went into surgery, Sawsbuck went into surgery, and it was told to me that my youngest pokemon, Archeops, didn't make it out of the castle alive. My Gigalith was the only one that made it out even remotely ok.

But after all that I realized I was lucky to have what I did. I realized that after all that hell Plasma put me through, things had worked out. They were dismantled, Ghetsis had fled, and N had left the world in my hands. I became famous; a broken hero called "Black".

And now, two years later I realized that it was only wrong of me to hide these beloved pokemon from my beloved younger brother. Kyouhei had been such a small part of my life in the last two years, I had actually forgotten I had a brother to begin with—I had forgotten everything that had to do with that tiny island I grew up on. So I felt I owed it to him at least, to show him the secrets of my life before he came to Unova.

"Kyouhei… these pokemon are my best friends." I said quietly, gesturing to him to come forward. "Don't be afraid of how they look… Would you love Kukui any less if she had been crippled?"

He shook his head. "How could you do this to them?"

I knew it looked wrong in his eyes, he was far too sensitive to understand that it was nothing I did to them—I would never have put them through this if I could help it—it was them who did this to themselves. Every pokemon had a duty to fulfill—N told me that so long ago—and they would never give it up so irresponsibly. To say the least, pokemon would do anything for their master, and this was no exception to my pokemon.

"I never…" I shook my head at my brother. "NEVER wanted this to happen… but Kyouhei you're going to learn… that sometimes, it just does."

"Touya…" He hugged his squirtle with a slight fear in his eyes. "None of this would have happened if you wouldn't have left the island…"

That was very true… but that wasn't the point.

"And Unova wouldn't still be standing if I had stayed." I brushed back Zebstrika's static-filled mane as I spoke. "Everything happens for a reason."

"I—I just don't understand." He admitted, though bending beside the deformed Sawsbuck anyways. I could tell that his heart was hurting as he imagined the horrible things that could have potentially happened—and I could guarantee that they were worse than he was picturing.

"I still don't know why you brought me here…" He murmured, touching Sawsbuck's shoulder with a tender hand.

Kyouhei wasn't stupid, I had to give him that much. He knew that I had something in mind in bringing him here and despite me saying it was only to meet Zekrom (who my good friend Touya was bringing to the part soon. She had much more capability with the legendary pokemon since she was currently hunting down the seven sages in hopes of demolishing Plasma's everlasting hope of ever rejoining.) There was much more than that. I wanted to inspire my brother, I wanted to give him a reason to get out into the world and truly live. At first I thought maybe giving him a starter pokemon and a pokedex would motivate him to become a trainer, but so far nothing of the subject had come up. So I resorted to this, thinking that Zekrom, in all his splendor and glory, could convince my brother that chances were worth taking. I wanted Kyouhei to find himself here in Unova like I did, I wanted to see him gain experiences and evolve in his own sense.

Sadly though, like the sun freckles on his cheeks, the last few days he had only dissipated from any luster that once was my brother. Kyouhei was a good kid with a mature mind and all the potential in the world—hell if I could do it he could—and I wanted him to act on it. The only thing was that if I told him this directly he would assume I wanted to get rid of him, so it had to be his choice.

There was still the off chance that his new friend Hyuu would convince him to leave Aspertia city for an adventure as well—but I wanted to be sure.

I sighed, turning to look my little brother in the eyes so that he knew I was serious. "Kyouhei… have you ever thought about being a trainer?"

His face hardened slightly, first and foremost becoming defensive, and then finding that I was not antagonizing him, I was only just asking a simple question. His milky brown eyes blinked twice, reminding me of all the times on the island when the sun would burst through the canopy and light those eyes to a brilliant macadamia nut color. He really was something—if given the chance I knew my brother would make something of himself. He had power, he had ability, he had the potential… he just didn't believe in himself.

Believe it or not when I was younger I used to look up to Kyouhei, which was quite odd considering that I, being the older brother, should have had more self-esteem. But the thing was… on the island I could never truly be myself. I was much more than just a boy with freckles on his face and sun in his eyes and wind in his hair. I needed room to bloom and blossom when Kyouhei had done that so frivolously where we came from. He was rooted to the island so deeply that it actually hurt to know he had no room for improvement—or at least that's what he thought.

All I knew was that I couldn't bring myself to tell him to become something he didn't want to be, so if his decision was not to be a trainer, then so be it. He could be whoever he wanted, I wouldn't stop him…

"Yeah." He finally said. "I've thought about it… and… I was actually talking to Hyuu about it last night. He wants to travel and be a trainer—he and Rosa—but he doesn't know if it will go over well with his mom… She leaves his little sister with him a lot."

That was unfortunate… Hyuu, though I didn't know him personally, seemed like the kind of teen that was strong and willful and would be a loving trainer. Plus no teen should have to miss out on their opportunity to raise pokemon—everyone in Unova got the chance, unlike in Johto where kids were not just given a starter pokemon, they had to have an amount of schooling involved and money. They were often caught trying to steal pokemon so that they could fulfill their dreams as well.

"But his mother wouldn't not let him go would she?" I asked Kyouhei.

"I don't know, we didn't get into that much." I admitted, looking a little lost himself.

"Maybe he will stand up to her. He's sixteen right? That's legal… technically he can leave with or without his mother's approval."

"I'm not sure he has the heart to do that though."

"You're worried about him." I commented, surprised to see that Kyouhei was showing even the slightest sign of sympathy for the boy that lived down the street. It reminded me of the way Touko and I were before she stole Cheren's heart so long ago. Then upon growing up, she and Bianca grew closer, and Cheren and I became top-of-the-notch bros that needn't anything other than our pokemon. Even so, we cared about each other, and over time the divider between male and female friends came together again. Bianca, Touko, Cheren and I were all equals now, all successful young adults with long lives to live.

Could Kyouhei have that kind of relationship with a friend? I hoped so… considering that even on the Island we came from he had trouble getting close to people. As I said before, there was an invisible sign around his neck that told intimacy to get away from him. Not that him and Hyuu should be intimate together—just that friendship was important in a boy's development.

"I'm not worried about him." Kyouhei disagreed with me. "More like concerned with myself."

"Why is that?" I crossed my legs beneath me, intending for him to make a story out of this—I wanted him to tell me what he was thinking. I wanted my brother to be happy.

"Well, he's a cool guy. And if he leaves then… I really don't have any friends… And I know that sounds selfish…"

I smiled gently. "Is there a reason you don't want to go with him?"

Kyouhei hung his head, hugging his Squirtle and peeking over at the two crippled pokemon of mine. "Nothing bad ever happened on the Island... and I'm scared now."

Like older brother like little brother, he cared about his pokemon so much it actually hurt him to think of losing them—especially Kukui.

"Kyouhei…" I began. "I promise you that no matter… ok for every one bad thing that could happen, there is going to be two or more good things to cancel it out."

"How can you say that when this happened?"

I just shook my head, unable to explain. No matter how horrific these things that happened were… I could never regret what I did. And my pokemon would never regret what they did either, so I was willing to cope with the fact that they were crippled. They may or may not be living the life of their dreams, but they had each other, and more importantly they knew that justice had been served.

"My pokemon don't have any regrets… neither do I."

Such a smart young kid… and yet he hadn't the first clue what this feeling swelling in my chest was.

"Kyouhei, I don't want you to think I'm trying to kick you out of the house… but I really, truly think that you should try and become a trainer."

That tiny spark of defense came back over him at my words, and he had to bite back a retort I knew would sting.

"I don't want you to look back on your childhood and think you missed out."

Silence as always, the answer to his inner turmoil.

"If Hyuu goes with you, you won't be alone." I added. "Kyou…"

"Alright, alright." He brushed me off. "I get it… I understand… but… I don't know I—I—

Suddenly the earth shook, broken by the tremor from a familiar beast a little ways off on this Ranch. Kyouhei cut off with a shocked gasp, eyes growing huge as he looked about. "Wha—what the hell was that?"

I laughed lightly, patting my pokemon once again and pushing up off the ground. "It's Zekrom! Come on!"


	11. Chapter 11

~Kyouhei~

"Well I didn't know what to expect, but I certainly didn't expect a huge dragon thing with a generator for a tail." I shook my head, leaning back on the headboard of Hyuu's bed as Kukui and his Oshawott, who he finally decided on a name for (Alec) wrestled together on the floor, blowing innocent bubbles and trying to pin one another. Kukui was heavier and stronger than him though, so she had the upper hand. Huko was curled up in the corner trying to act like the water didn't frighten him.

"I wish I could have seen it." Hyuu admitted, swiveling at his chair by a narrow wooden desk with an old computer monitor on it. "That's so amazing… You're brother is really something huh?"

I scoffed. "SOMETHING, but I wouldn't say he is amazing…"

"He has a legend Kyouhei. That's amazing."

I pouted in disagreement, trying to deny the fact that what I had seen today wasn't perhaps the most amazing thing that had ever been seen through my milky eyes. Zekrom was a mighty creature with more power than an electrical power plant, and yet it was so gentle, letting my brother sit on its back, and allowing me to stroke it on the tip of its broad nose. Touko was a little more rough with the creature, but all the while I noticed that care-taker and pokemon were far too much alike not to play rough with each other. And not to mention Touko had a stunning Emboar that seemed to be a playful sparring partner with the beast.

To be quite honest it all made me realize just how much I wanted to enjoy the company of pokemon like that.

I had Kukui and Huko, but I was selfish and wanted more. I wanted to see them grow and I wanted to see what else we could accomplish. If it weren't for the fact that I was unbearably stubborn I would have admit to the fact that I really was excited to go on a pokemon journey.

"You like your brother don't you?" Hyuu asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"I told you before that he's changed… and that's hard for me to accept… even though he is nothing but nice to me. It makes me uneasy. And of all things, his pokemon were so scarred, and some were crippled, I just couldn't handle it. I mean, it makes me not want to be a pokemon Trainer…"

That wasn't entirely a lie… however much Zekrom and Touko made me want to be a trainer, the image of the poor crippled Zebstrika and Sawsbuck remained in my mind. What if that was Kukui one day? All because I wanted to be a trainer?

"You're not going to be a trainer!?" Hyuu stopped himself abruptly, his bare feet scuffling against the carpet and his eyes growing wide. "Are you crazy? You already have two pokemon, you have a head start on the rest of us!"

"I know I know!" Why did everyone have the same reaction to my feelings? Didn't they realize that this was hard for me? Didn't they know that I was just an Island boy living in a huge big-city world?

Hyuu frowned at me, bringing his knees up tightly and hugging them to his chest in the chair. "I want you to go on an adventure."

I rolled my eyes, though thinking that in the back of my mind I was glad he wasn't ready to up and leave without me. If he would give me time to think it through clearly then surely I could come to a decision soon. "What about Rosa?"

He smacked his hands down on the chair's arms rests in frustration, eyes lighting up with a forgotten fire. "That stupid girl left already!"

"Haha."

"Don't laugh! While I'm sitting here waiting for a pokedex, she is out there in the world training and battling and it's driving me crazy. She called me three times today. It's like rubbing it in my face."

I forced my amused smile away. "So then… you plan on leaving as soon as you get your pokedex? You're mother is letting you?"

He nodded, still looking irked by Rosa but spinning gleefully in the chair. "She knows I will leave anyways… at least that's what I told her. So she has no choice but to let me."

"What about Lizzie?"

His heart seemed to visibly sink like the tightness on his face. He was reduced to a puddle of angst before me, wallowing in trying to imagine not seeing his beloved little sister for long periods of time. He really loved Lizzie, despite how much time he was forced to spend with her.

"I already promised I would catch her a pokemon… the best pokemon in the world so she could take it with her on a journey when she gets older. She was happy, but of course it still hurts."

"What are you talking about Lizzie?" A sudden hand rapped lightly on the other side of Hyuu's bedroom door. I glanced at Hyuu in confusion as he looked up, mouth curling down in distaste.

"Nothing mom." He said as she turned the knob and peeked in. Hyuu's mother was a short woman with the same wild eccentric hair he had, only longer and curlier as it got further down her shapeless back. She had the same vivid red violet eyes as her son as well, only more rounded and set further apart on her face.

"Right." She didn't look amused by Hyuu's un-informing answer. "Well did you do your chores?"

He looked shell shocked at his mother, turning a horrible pink in embarrassment. "Yes Ma'am."

She dipped her head to him solemnly, not seeming very pleased despite his answer and leaving without saying a word—if that was my mother she would have asked Hyuu how he was doing or something along those lines. It seemed that this was a major difference in Hyuu's and my upbringing. His mother was obviously strict, whereas mine was the kind of mom to let me stay on the beach all day with a simple "be home when the tide comes in" rule. Part of me felt bad for Hyuu.

"I bet it will be nice to get away from that for a while huh?" I asked long after the sound of his mother down the hallway had left.

Hyuu nodded, rolling his eyes with a sigh. "She's not a bad mother… she just works a lot and with my father always being away she has to be the good and the bad parent. It's not easy for her, so I don't question what she tells me to do."

I made a small noise, wondering where Hyuu's rebellion had gone—or did he not have any to begin with?

If I was half the kid Hyuu was I wouldn't go out in the middle of the night to surf on the beach in pitch blackness. I would be a good younger brother and stay home and sleep at night—not that Touya was denying me from the beach, he just didn't approve of my timing.

"Has she ever said anything about you going to the beach at night?" I mused, turning from my sitting position to be lazily sprawling on my side, welcoming Kukui up next to me after she pinned Alec for the final time. Her eyes were mischievous and beaming.

"She doesn't know…" he admitted, lowering his head. "She is always dead asleep when she comes home in the evening. So when I leave and come home she doesn't know…"

I tsked at him teasingly. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"You don't know me." He flipped his hair back—a true diva—and laughed. "It won't matter soon anyways… I mean… I'm sixteen she can't do anything about my choices. And… once I leave…"

I folded my arms behind me head, thinking intently on Hyuu and what he wanted to do so desperately. He was braver than I was—wanting to get away rather than stick around and cower. He may have more city experience, and he may have grown up in Unova… but that didn't mean that I should be a wimp.

"You gotta come with me…" his low voice touched my ears ever so slightly.

I shook my head slightly, sighing. "I don't even know the geographical map of Unova…"

"That's why you go with me stupid." He grinned, a somewhat wider grin that reminded me of my brother fake one—only it wasn't fake.

I realized now that the reason I liked Hyuu as my friend was because despite it all he was real. He didn't sugar coat anything like Touya did, and he didn't often pressure me into thinking one way or another. He respected where I came from and of all things he wanted to learn about it—and I wanted nothing more than to tell.

Maybe traveling with him would be fun…

"Are there any other beaches in Unova?"

"Of course. There is Undella Town. It's a warm beach too."

I thought for a moment, about the possibilities of making it to this beach just to feel the warmth of salt water on my skin again—maybe those waves came from Mintonga.

"It's clear across the region though…" He admitted.

Well it would be worth it… right? I thought vaguely about wonderful hot white sand and luscious palm trees billowing in the breeze. Summer was on the way and I wasn't entirely ready to give up the possibility of a nice tan and my beloved sun freckles—which had seemed to fade over the last few days just to piss me off.

"Alright." I said watching the blades of Hyuu's ceiling fan spin. "If you can get me to Undella town, then I'll go with you."

…

~Hyuu~

Arceus… that boy sprawling on my bed. Fuck. I couldn't handle it.

He didn't even know what he did to me. He didn't know this feeling in the lowest regions of my stomach where my testicles seemed to meet was driving me mad. A horrendous tightening beneath my belly button that had me unable to pull myself together. I reacted, as human beings do, to the idea of this boy in my bed—fuck. Me.

I turned greedily in the warmth of my blankets; shoving my face into the pillows he lay on only hours before, drinking in heavily the smell of the ocean, getting drunk off of the magical scent that seemed to greet me in the darkness of after-hours. It was a good eleven or so at night, but I felt as though the sun had just awoken on my horizon, releasing the shadows of doubt from my mind and the pack of ravenous creatures from my heart of doubt.

I felt alive.

Flying high as I worked the erection between my legs, shamelessly clutching to the idea of Kyouhei beneath me while my breath grew more rampant, more intense on the feeling of friction and heat and that wonderlust kind of smell.

He was coming with me—we would be partners on this amazing journey around Unova.

This was first step to becoming more than friends. The first step to trusting each other with our lives because that's what we should do.

"Kyou—Kyouhei." I grunted, muffled into the fabric of my sheets, one hand clutching them as my hips rolled to the side, smashing the pressure in my balls and then back up again as I pictured his lovely freckled face and milky brown eyes.

"K—Ky—Kyou!" I gasped, chomping down on my pillow and trembling to a sudden stop, holding on for dear life as a familiar orgasm crept forward, spurting and then leaking an unforgiveable substance between my fingers and onto the material before me. My head spun with pleasure.

Despite it being a natural thing that ever boy went through at some point in his life, I couldn't justify jacking off completely.

All I could say was that this was something I would have to learn to live with, rather than live without.

Kyouhei and I were going to travel together… I would have to learn how to deal with boners around him at some point or another.

Though something told me this was the last time I would masturbate in a while…


	12. Chapter 12

~Kyouhei~

I had decided at Hyuu's house, but I had gone to the beach afterwards jut to sit in the fact that this was real, and that this was going to be suddenly be my life.

Training pokemon would be fun, but battling could be scary and I wasn't sure I was ready for the possible things that could happen. So I would up on the one place I felt most comfortable to contemplate the decision.

Was I ready?

I didn't know but I had left convinced that I could be. I had left hoping and knowing that this was the right choice in the end, and now I only had one dilemma to get over—my pride.

My knuckles rapped on my brother's bedroom door softly, as the light was still on.

"Touya…?" I murmured into the door.

"J—Just a minute!" A choked voice came back to me, seemingly closer than I expected, and followed by the sound of things shuffling around. I waited, testing the knob just to know that it had been locked—what was he doing in there? I scowled lightly, hoping that I hadn't disturbed him jacking off or something. Did Touya even do that? I wasn't sure… but I couldn't imagine he would. He was such a wholesome guy it just felt wrong.

I waited, listening to the sound of bare feet on the hardwood before the lock clicked over. He didn't open the door though, he left me to do that and turned his back as I came in.

"Touya I was… at Hyuu's house and I—I—Are you crying?"

"No." He scrubbed a hand over his face to cover up the red in his eyes—the surefire tears that lined his cheeks. He smiled a pained, ridiculous smile that burned a whole in my heart. He was so fake when he was covering up his emotions.

"What happened?" I asked glancing around, seeing him lean against his bed to cover up a box—the same one from his locked cabinet in the kitchen.

"Nothing." He shook his head and sniffed. "Really I'm fine. So… what is it?"

"I uhh… I was at Hyuu's and I decided… well he kind of forced me to decide, that I'm going to… be a trainer."

His red eyes sparkled with appreciation. "Remind me to thank that kid… When are you leaving? And, where do you plan on going first? Cheren's gym will be too hard for you right now…"

"I don't know this region really at all… so I guess I will just be following Hyuu around." I told him. "And we will leave a soon as he gets his pokedex in the mail."

Touya nodded, smiling all too lovingly at me and then leaning over to ruffle my hair harshly like he used to when he wanted to be a big pain in the ass. I flinched away with a scowl.

"Hold on, let me get something for you…"

I waited, crossing my arms as he headed around his bed and to his night stand. He plucked the drawer open—which also caused his Serperior who was sleeping under the bed to wake up and slither out—and reached inside to grab a sleek black object.

"I want you to take this." He said. "It's my pokedex from when I was journeying… and… there is my journal stored in it. Pages of things that will help you and information about pokemon you may encounter. It's got music downloaded onto it too—some island stuff you will remember from when we were kids—and a lot of… memories I wish you could take with you."

I felt a small part of my stomach swell; touching my heart and making me realize that this wasn't just something that Touya felt lightly about. His pokedex… that was something very personal to him and I felt like maybe I was intruding upon taking it… but at the same time…

I had surely lost a part of my brother—my best friend—over the course of the two years that we were apart, and I knew that in his pokedex there had to be answers. There had to be reasons and, like he said, memories to help me understand him better. What exactly caused Touya to grow up over the time he left the Island to become a trainer in Unova? Where did the boundary lay?

I reached out with weary hands as my brother offered the sleek black item. It was heavier than the pokedex I had received, but not any different in style. Could it literally be the weight of a journey's time I was feeling? I blinked at this sort of… sacred item, this gateway to my brother's realm of power—what made him the hero he was today.

"You really want me to have it?" I cradled the thing as if it were a precious diamond.

"It's all yours." He nodded, looking a bit choked again. "But of course… still bring your pokedex with you, so you can record your own story."

A small smile curled at my lips as I looked down at the thing, its scratched surface and its years of worn strewn across it. It was beautiful to say the least—much more appealing than my ordinary red pokedex. This one had character—it had the aspect of my brother before he turned into this champion, hero guy that I knew nothing about.

"Th—thank you…" For the first time in a long time I felt close to my brother.

…

"Map?"

"Yep."

"Running shoes?"

"Mmnhmm."

"Ramen?"

"Wa-?"

"OH yeah, I forgot, you actually have money to buy food with." Touya closed his kitchen cabinet doors, having remembered a day in time when he was starting out on his journey and didn't have a penny to his name. He had resorted to eating ramen (raw most of the time) just to survive when the pokemon centers didn't have free food to give away to the trainers that stayed with them.

Fortunately for me I had a lot of money left over from when my father died and passed on the money sold from his island company to me. To be honest I didn't even know what that company did, but he had made sure to have an arranged sell for whenever he died. This money all went to me since Touya was already rich by this point, and I was thankful for it now. Life as a traveler and trainer would be ten times easier if I didn't have to worry about where my next meal was coming from. Honestly, if there was anything I looked up to my brother for, it was the fact that he had been a growing teenage boy and survived not starving over his time as a young trainer.

"Do you have your wetsuit?" Touya asked, turning to see me looking back at him with a slightly concerned look.

It had been two days since I told my brother that I would be leaving to go on a journey to become a trainer, and Hyuu had gotten his pokedex in the mail yesterday evening, so we agreed to pack and be ready to leave by the morning—which was now.

"I'm wearing it right now." I told Touya, knowing that at some point or another my wetsuit would come in handy. Unova was generally a colder region, so crossing water if need be, would be more comfortable in my suit. It also spared me the need to wear underwear (not that I didn't intend to wear them… I just preferred not to).

"Hmm, hair clips?" Touya suggested. "You may want to clip that mop out of your face sometime…"

I gave him a dirty look.

"Alright, alright no clips. Pokeballs?"

"You gave me ten of them." I reminded.

"I know, just making sure you have them." He insisted. "Do you have a ball for Kukui?"

I looked over at my pokemon and her freshly painted flower running up her chest. I decided to paint it again last night so that it would last as long as possible while we were traveling. After all, my freckles may fade, but her tattoo didn't have to.

"She doesn't go in a ball." I told Touya.

"But I promise you that at some point you will need to put her in one." Touya advised, leaning over to rub his beloved Serperior on the head. The sleek pokemon hissed lovingly as if an inside joke was shared between them.

"Oh kay… well ill just use one that I have if that time comes." I shrugged, not understanding, but being too distracted to ask exactly because a faint but obviously excited knock sounded on the front door.

"That's Hyuu." I said, grabbing my shoulder bag and slinging it over me.

"Wait—wait Kyou." Touya stopped me, reaching up and snatching a lock of my hair. I jerked back in annoyance, glaring but being pulled ruthlessly into my brother's chest. He smashed me into him, hugging so tightly I couldn't tell if it was sarcastic or if this was the emotions he was trying to hide.

"Mom's going to be pissed when she finds out that you are leaving, but don't worry about it, I'll tell her I sent you away." He laughed. "And… I'll miss you kid."

I shoved him lightly, though there was no denying the sad smile creeping across my face. "Well… I… hopefully I will take after my brother."

He grinned. "You don't wanna do that."

The door came again, a slightly louder knock.

"Come on Kukui." I called to my pokemon before turning to the entryway and reaching out to touch the doorknob. I could feel my brother's gaze burning after me as I went; almost as if he was remembering the moment he stepped out of his door to become a trainer as well.

The weight of Touya's sleek black pokedex lay heavily in my shorts pocket, which I wore over my wetsuit for the sake of having clothes. This was a huge step I was taking… and my heart beating suddenly faster proved me that I was more nervous than I expected. My stomach churned as I opened the door and met Hyuu, who looked as if he had just won a Grammy.

"I—I can't believe this is happening." He blurted, running a nervous hand through his eccentric thick expanse of dark blue hair.

"Me neither." I agreed, hoisting the bag up on my shoulder and glancing back at Touya, who dipped his head to me.

"You're ready?" Hyuu asked, appreciating the motion between us brothers.

"Yeah… I am."

"Hey Hyuu." Touya mumbled, probably knowingly that he would go against my embarrassment.

"Y—yes Black?" Hyuu blinked in surprise at being addressed.

"Touya." I hissed. Why did people refer to him as Black? Technically I was "Black" too. It was our last name.

"Take care of my brother." He advised.

"Touya!" I whined.

"I will!" Hyuu agreed eagerly. "We'll watch each other's backs… I trust him."

I folded my arms, glancing down at Kukui as she shook her head lightly in mock. Me and her were the closest it came to working as a team, so if Hyuu was really going to put his trust in me… well… I just hoped I wouldn't have to return the favor to spare him a little butthurt-ness. However… I wasn't going to tell him that this wasn't a one way street. We may travel together but we weren't… partners. We were just friends.

"Call home every now and again too." Touya added when I pouted. He punched me lightly in the shoulder.

"Alright…" I allowed.

Hyuu shot me a brilliant white-teeth smile as I stepped out onto the porch with him.

"Goodluck!" Touya yelled as we walked together—our first step into our journey.


	13. Chapter 13

~Hyuu~

It wasn't exactly… what I was expecting…

We were hot and our feet were tired, and Kyouhei was vaguely threatening to drink Kukui's water gun, which in a sense freaked me out. I mean… where did a water pokemon's water come from anyways? But he said that it was no big deal and then worst comes to worst you drink whatever you could—I still can't be sure if he was joking or not.

We had decided (or more so me) that we would head straight past Flocessy Town and head for Virbank since the two were relatively close together, but upon reaching the Ranch Kyouhei started telling me about how his brother's crippled pokemon were here, and we took a short break to see them. The owner's of the ranch also were kind enough to us to let us rest in their barn while the sun was at its peak. It was here than I started to hit my wall of exhaustion, and the first taste of homesickness in this long journey we would be taking.

I was starting to doubt myself… wondering if I was up for this or not. Could I really live without seeing my little sister for long periods of time? I was already worrying about where she was and if my mother had found a formidable baby sitter for her. It was getting late, so my mother would be coming home about this time now—the sun was starting to set as we approached Virbank Town. Lizzie wouldn't have to be with a stranger much longer… if that's where she was now.

"I can't believe we didn't see one pokemon today." I complained. "I wanted to try and catch something… or at least let Alec try and battle a wild pokemon for the first time…"

My intelligent Oshawott perked up at its name, screwing up his eyes with a slightly sheepish look—as he was just about to reach out and touch Kukui's hand with his own. Personally I thought the idea of Alec and Kukui liking each other was the cutest thing ever. I encouraged the idea as well because I had a thing for Kukui's trainer. But on the other end I knew that Kyouhei would never stoop down to that level—after all one of the more popular topics we talked about in our off time was the fact that he hated relationships and he thought that love was just a curse.

So far I had gone along with this theory, just to appeal to Kyouhei when he wanted to rant about how his parents gotdivorced and his life went to hell, and how his brother had changed because he fell in love with someone and then was hurt. Part of me wanted to tell him that it would be ok, that not all relationships ended so badly. I wanted to tell him about the people I knew that were successful and still going strong—but it would all be empty words. One of the strange things I loved about Kyouhei was the fact that he was stubborn as all hell, whether it be applied to his lack of understanding towards relationships, or it be to the way his wetsuit zipper got stuck and he yank on it, completely incapable of progress.

It was actually really fun for me at the time because he held still long enough to let me fix it where it was caught, and I had gotten to joy of feeling his lean shoulders for the second time (the first was when he let me surf with him). This made me realize that I really just loved his body in general. More so than his hard-to-love personality, I loved the way he walked lightly and the way his shoulders seemed stick out awkwardly like pidgey wings. I liked the wide dip in the small of his back, and how smooth his skin was despite the freckles that still lay sprinkled on him here and there. The thick black tattoo on his shoulder was feminine in a way that it was a flower, but masculine in a way that it stuck out bold and brisk. I liked how his hair fell in his eyes often and how he had awkwardly short bangs compared to the layer of hair that sat behind his ears. I liked the feathery curls he got when it was humid or moist outside. I liked his eyes and how milky brown they were—much more creamy looking than any other brown eyes I had ever seen.

Kyouhei was the kind of person that was just so unlovable to most people that I seemed to love him even more. And when I meant love… I really meant adore and worship, since of course I didn't even know what love was supposed to feel like at the age of sixteen, but whatever. I wasn't worried about it. All I knew was that I wanted to keep traveling with him; I wanted to be with him.

"I'm kind of disappointed too." Kyouhei allowed. "But it could a lot worse right?—Oh Hey… what's wrong?" he stepped back, having been a pace ahead of me. He tended to do that—lead the way at all times. He must feel like a leader in that kind of sense.

I swallowed, not wanting to admit to myself that I was thoroughly upset, but finding comfort in the fact that Kyouhei noticed.

"I uhh… was just worrying about my sister." I told him. "I kind of feel homesick… in a way."

He smiled crookedly, almost mockingly. "Do you want to go back?"

"No!" I insisted. "I just wish I could call and make sure that she is doing ok."

"It's only been a day." Kyouhei slowed, stepping back to my side and walking at my pace with me. Kukui and Alec teetered along ahead of us, their hands holding now that the subject wasn't on them. My heart fluttered, and unthinkingly the back of my own hands swept across Kyouhei's. The kind of touch that you would pass of as an accident when really it was probably the best simple touch I had ever experienced. A shiver rolled through my wrist and up my arm.

"I will be fine. Maybe I just need a good night's sleep." I suggested as the town of Virbank sprouted in the distance. I hadnt realized we had been climbing a hill until now either, but apparently we had since I could see damn near the whole region. Suddenly everything looked very small as I stood beside Kyouhei.

He paused, feeling the earth shift beneath him and the world from below, looking up like I did. We stalled, this idea of a good night's sleep exhausting us. I started at the hustle and bustle of early nightfall in the city below, its neon lining the murky water where the yellow of the sunset turned a greenish grey and ill-colored.

"Oh. My. Arcues." Kyouhei's voice was caught in his throat as the subject changed. "What the hell did they do?"

"What?" I asked.

"T—the water… the whole city is covered in smog, but the water looks toxic…"

"Well… I know that the town gym leader specializes in poison pokemon… maybe that's why?" I suggested, not wanting to begin the steep journey down hill into town, but wanting so badly to reach it before the sun vanished completely. In the distance I could see ferries arriving from the mainland where Castalia trainers were making their way over. If we didn't hurry there may not be any rooms available in the pokemon center, and I didn't fancy getting stuck outside on our first night as official trainers.

"Well if she did that to the water then I most definitely want to beat her." Kyouhei announced. "That's disgusting… it doesn't even look like an ocean."

"Maybe it will look better in person." I sighed. "We should keep moving…"

"Yeah." He agreed. "And once we get into town you will have a chance to call your family right?"

I stood up a little straighter, feeling motivation move through my blood as the island boy from before me stepped forward- another step of many on this journey to become someone. I followed him leisurely, making sure to ignore the obvious ache in my heels. Walking so much in one day was something I would surely have to get used to, not to mention walking through rough terrain.

This whole experience would be something to get used to… but I knew I could.

My eyes watched the gentle shape of Kyouhei and I smiled.

I could since he was here.

…

~Kyouhei~

Virbank was disgusting. Could I make that clear? No because anything I seemed to think here came out about as dank and horrific as this seas-side city was. Factories dumping toxins in the ocean water so that there was no pokemon to be seen for miles away, storage units along the beach, railings and pipes of electrical wires looking dangerous. It was one big mechanical puzzle smothering the town that should have been beautiful. It should have looked like a beach with white sand and a sunset and waves to ride—not the stagnant pools of muck that seemed to wash up around the shoreline. Even the pokemon center seemed to lack in cleanliness because of this, and I was glad that my pokemon were not hurt because I wouldn't have to leave them there to heal—they might catch some terrible disease or something.

"Uhh…" Hyuu tugged on the collar of his shirt as he stared at the single full size bed in this ugly and dark room we had no choice but to stay together in. "Didn't we tell them two beds?" he coughed awkwardly.

I spotted a frumpy looking couch against the most narrow wall, furthest from us and closest to our bathroom. "It probably pulls out…"

Again this wasn't exactly what we were expecting. Hyuu said that he didn't know what to expect, but it surely wasn't this, and I was more or less ready to damn this murky town to hell. Upon seeing a map earlier I thought maybe I would get to surf tonight, but since the ocean might as well be acid here, there was no way of it.

I frowned as Hyuu moved forward, exhausted and ignoring the full size bed for the couch that honestly looked like it had been beaten to death and then covered with a yellowing sheet. He through his bag down on the floor and then slumped over into it, flinching as it seemed to eat his whole lower half, having no support. It moaned and creaked as Alec, the admirable Oshawott, jumped on the arm next to his trainer.

"Shhoowt!" The pokemon made a loving bark of a noise, reminding us that it was still very young despite its intelligence, and that it had all the fight left in the world—unlike Kukui who was clutching my leg just to hold herself up on her two feet. Not that she was old in any sense; she was just much more mellow and probably a lot less used to walking so much.

"I don't think it folds out." Hyuu announced, scratching his pokemon on the head gently. "But don't worry, you can take the bed, I'll stay on the couch."

"No, its fine." I shook my head, knowing that I probably wouldn't get much sleep tonight regardless of if it was the couch or the bed. "You sleep there."

"Mrrrph." He grunted, but was too tired to argue with me. I waited as he stood again, legs shaking slightly and using his knees for support until he could stretch. It was literally two steps to the bed, and he was flopping down again, this time on his face in some mock planking event.

"I think I need new shoes…" He mumbled into the faded hotel room bed.

"Maybe." I agreed, knowing that if I had walked all day in normal tennis shoes, and not the running shoes my brother gave me, then I would be just as bad off as he was as well. With little effort I tossed my stuff on the floor next to his and then turned, ignoring Hyuu's moan and pulling off his shoes for him. "Or maybe you just need to get used to walking so much."

"We keep saying that but really…" Hyuu ran a hand through his extremely thick forest of hair. I had never noticed before, but it stuck up all weird, in perhaps to most unattractive manor possible—which was good of course. Hyuu didn't need to be attractive on this journey, then we would just have girls chasing after him while we were trying to travel. And if that happened… think of what else could happen? I shivered at the thought of Hyuu being with someone—like my brother and my parents. To be honest I didn't want him to have to suffer heartache that came along with love.

"My hips hurt really badly too." Hyuu screwed up his face as I flipped his other shoe off and onto the floor. "Maybe I'm out of shape…"

I sat on the edge of the bed beside his knees with a sigh. "Well my hips don't hurt… but you have long awkward legs so maybe that's why."

"Hey." He pouted, glancing back at me. "My legs are awkward?"

I shrugged. "Maybe that's not the right word. But they are long."

Hyuu let his head fall back into the bed, his hair sticking up in all directions and looking crusted with a day's worth of sweat. It hadn't been as cool today, but for obvious reasons that was a good thing. We may not be camping out tonight, but if we need to at some point it will be easier in warmer weather. Not to mention hot weather meant more sun and warmer water for me to surf in—I hoped reaching Undella Town wouldn't take quite as long as Hyuu said it would.

"Rosa's are even longer." He muttered in the blankets before pushing up again, using every bit of strength he seemed to have. "I—I need to go take a shower."

"Have fun." I said almost sarcastically as he grabbed his bag and dragged it into the tiny bathroom beyond the couch wall.

The door closed behind him and I started unzipping the back of my wetsuit, only much more uncoordinatedly than I expected since I was tired. My jacket that I wore was already long gone, stuffed into my bag since earlier when the sun was high in the sky. I still had a pair of shorts on over it however, so I took the time to shuffle out of those—which induced a very embarrassed Oshawott in the room to cover his eyes. Kukui was already passed out on the couch, without even enough strength to tuck herself into her shell. Of course this wouldn't matter anyways; she could care less what state of nakedness I was in.

I rummaged through my bag for one of the few pairs of boxers I brought for nights like this, listening to the sound of the shower screech to life and the doors a second later. Hyuu had somehow managed to look twice as dirty as I did today, so I understood his rashness, but taking a shower in the morning wasn't my preference, especially after being in such a filthy place like this. I hoped he would hurry up so I could take one as well, but I wasn't going to place my bets anyway—I was ready to crash and burn as it was.

Deciding to wait I settled on the bed, folding my legs and leaning my head against my arms while I stared up at the popcorn ceiling, eyes growing heavy with exhaustion.

Is this was Touya felt the first night of his journey two years ago? Did he feel like he was completely and utterly disappointed with himself? Or did he know that things would get better?

Breathing softly I fumbled through my bag again, reaching into the inside pocket where I stuck Touya's pokedex. Mine was nowhere near as scratched, and yet it still felt sleeker somehow. It felt like it had been through hell and back again, at my brother's side through triumph and failure… and yet it was that hell and that triumph that scathed the surface, buffing it like rough sand would your feet on the beach.

I lay the item in my lap carefully, not opening it, but fully appreciating its slender weight, and knowing that while looking at it… things could get better.

This was not a journey worth wasting.

What was that thing Touya always said?

….

Everything happens for a reason.

~Hyuu~

The light was still on when I got out of the shower, but it was obvious that everyone was asleep because snores could be heard clearly through the steam that flitted about upon opening the narrow door to the bathroom.

"Kyouhei?" I whispered peeking around the couch and finding him curled up on the bed, though nothing was moved to accommodate sleeping. He had a pokedex in his lap and his head was cocked up against the headboard kind of awkwardly—as if he had been sitting when he fell asleep, but shifted down afterwards. The blankets were still neatly tucked under the bed and just by looking I knew that this was an accident.

My lips turned up in a sort of peaceful, sustained smile, and I knew that this wasn't the first time I would be utterly happy with this situation. Sleeping in the same room…

I bent beside the couch slowly, expecting to sprawl out slowly so that it wouldn't creak and wake Kyouhei up, but finding that I couldn't really sprawl out anyways because Kukui and Alec were taking up a fair portion of the space, their small hands still touching one another's, as if they could feel some amazing electricity between their fingers.. I grimaced, but didn't let it bother me—they were so cute together I wouldn't disturb them.

Sighing I curled up on the far side of the couch, leaning heavily on the arm of it so that I could reach over into my bag. I pulled out the small blanket I had brought and slung it over me, adjusting it just so that I could manage to cover my whole body from toes to shoulder.

Somehow I didn't mind this.

I couldn't find aggravation in the way that Kyouhei took the bed, or in the fact that these pokemon should probably be in their pokeballs and not out all the time. I couldn't make myself upset over the fact that today was… sort of a failure… No. It felt like success to me. Watching Kyouhei sleep felt like success.

The only failure here was not being able to sleep next to him.


	14. Chapter 14

~N~

This wasn't normal… this… it was..

Two years ago my life had been… both the most perfect and the most horrific it had ever been before. I had thrived, I had fallen, I had loved, and ultimately I had lost. Though no destiny is stronger than fate, I didn't dwell on what went missing, but rather what stayed. I had my pokemon, both wounded after the fight, but not nearly as damaged as the poor pokemon that fought alongside my partner in a battle against none-other than my father. We had made it out, alive… but not whole. I carried with me the awkward weight of knowing that I had lead a region in peril, that I had speared the world in the heart while it was beating, and then twisted a knife so harshly that a bloody wound was created amongst the all the people I had hurt.

Plasma hurt me, so I hurt them. THAT as the abnormal of then… and this was the abnormal of now.

I had left the Team Plasma Castle the night my partner fell—and no I did not mean my Zoroark, who was my beloved pokemon partner—I meant Touya. My beloved. My heart. My soul. My savior.

And he was dead.

At first I thought maybe he lived… but no…he was dead. Surely. I sent letters for a while, thinking maybe he would get them, but at the time it had only just been me trying to cope with the fact that I had left him dying that night. I knew he would die then and I knew he was dead now. I had always known it, for it was the truth staring me in the face.

So why now… why was my heart…

This unnatural and normal feeling in the pit of my stomach. This thundering, vicious, love that was growing like a flame. Like a lightning bolt from the sky, stretching down to touch the floor beneath the souls of my shoes.

I was disgusting. I was vile and inconsiderate and I hated myself. I hated myself so much.

Why did my eyes keep following him?

He was short, lean and toned, and he walked with his head held high. His ankle was accompanied by a small black string with a single bead around the back. His neck bore the tooth of some deep sea pokemon, as well as what looked to be a precious pearl from a Shellder. And he had a pokemon of foreign stature at his side—a Squirtle if I wasn't mistaking.

Maybe it was his hair? Maybe… it was the fact that he looked so clever and proud… and… and I…

There were many things I wanted to say about this particular boy, but I knew none as prudent as the fact that, sitting like kisses on his cheeks were the most lovely and endearing freckles I had seen in YEARS. Literally… years ago when I saw Touya for the first time, the same speckles had curled around the bridge of his nose, and I had stopped literally, walked up to him in a crowd and stared upon the his angel face without a care in the world. Not liberation, not hate, not fear could have stopped me from reaching out to touch the odd, foreign marks on him.

Which is why now— two years after never seeing such freckles—I stopped, blocked the path of this young boy that was headed towards the Virbank City gym and stuck my hand out to touch his face.

"He—hey!" The other one—a taller one that obvious came from Unova—shot forward, hackles raised in the same fashion that a Leipard's did. Eyes blazing I could see his hate was immense, breathtaking but not beautiful.

My fingers curled around the lovely shape of the jaw of the boy with such a strange face—such a foreign appearance. It was… aggravating. Pain fueled in my chest as my piercing emerald eyes met his opposite, soft milk brown ones.

I touched his face harshly, hand shaking because I wanted to grab a fistful of his hair and slam his precious skull into the concrete.

"The hell!" He jerked back, voice chipped with ice and slapping my hand away as his pokemon—the Squirtle—jolted forward with all her might, ramming into my shin and sparking a torrent of pain to crawl up my thigh and into my chest.

I gasped—that accent. I had heard it before, even while bending down to suffocate the welt growing above my ankle, I could remember as clear as day.

iMy name is Touya~/i He had said, a smile on his perfect face.

"Alec!" The other boy whirled, looking to see that it had gotten into a fight with a very familiar, and yellow eyed pidove.

Zoroark was a master of illusion, and she took the shape of birds most often because not many of them felt threatening.

"Squrr!" the foreign pokemon bared its short teeth at me as her trainer back away, reached down and plucked the pokemon from where it threatened another attack. I wasn't really afraid of such a small pokemon, but I was afraid of that sort of bond. The way a pokemon was willing to risk its life for its trainer—all of my lover's pokemon had been that way.

"Let's get out of here, Hyuu…" his accent hung like misery in my ears. The sound Touya—Blackie—had made the first few times I met him.

What was the connection?

The freckles… the same color hair… the accent…

It infuriated me; somehow, more than it should to know I was drawn in by such abnormal traits. I watched him and his friend go, grabbing their pokemon and turning tails to flee. Only… I wished I could chase him down.

Pain made me seethe.

My chest… my heart… my love…

I wrote you letters… even though I knew you were dead!

And now this?

Staring after the foreign boy I sat on the pavement, pulling my hat down in agony and covering my face as I imagined my hands along that perfect freckled face once again—Touya's, not this boy's.

I wanted to touch Touya again… I wanted to… I—I just—

Zoroark came flapping over, her tiny appearance soothing as she chirped, pushing the feathers of her tiny Pidove head to my side.

"Who is he?" I whispered.

This time when I looked up I could just barely make out the fearless face of the other trainer looking over his shoulder at me with venom in his eyes.

I wasn't the best at reading human beings emotions—but his was quite simple. I knew it because I had felt it before. The boy—Hyuu apparently- read:

iDon't EVER touch him again…/i

…

~Kyouhei~

I didn't know what that was all about before... but I wasn't all that fazed. I mean, it could have been worse right? It could have been another day walking through rough terrain and having our feet ache. I think I would have rather felt such a dirty touch on the side of my face, gripping my chin and those terrifying green eyes boring down at me as if I were his prey. I didn't know who that guy was but it didn't seem that important to me. Especially since Kukui hit him pretty hard in the shin…

He was taller than Hyuu, so I felt more like a midget than anything, and he had this ridiculously long waist length hair that was a honeydew sort of color. It was weird, and his breath had smelt strongly of mint, not that it was a bad thing, but that… smelling like the color of your hair was strange.

Hyuu was fuming about this though, claiming that we should just turn around and march back up to him and demand what the hell his problem was because it was uncalled for. Personally my guess was that he thought I was someone else and accidentally had a mind fart in which caused him to grasp my chin and not let me go. So… that happens every now and again right?

Hyuu didn't think so.

"I mean, who do you think that guy is?" My usually calm and collected but sometimes whiney friend tossed his head back into the back of the chair he sat in, ignoring the bread sitting before him—which I was stuffing into my mouth too quickly because lately it felt like I just couldn't eat enough.

"Take your anger out on the gym leader." I suggested through bites. "That's what I'm going to do."

"But you don't seem very angry."

I shrugged. "I'm more angry about the polluted water here than that guy touching me."

"Did you even see his expression? He looked like he wanted to hurt you…" Hyuu flicked the straw in his soda uncomfortable while Alec was reaching forward to grab the salt shaker for no apparent reason.

"Bread doesn't need salt." I said directly to the pokemon, making Kukui look up in encouragement. I knew that she was incapable of controlling her emotions over this particular Oshawott, and I didn't exactly approve of it, but that didn't mean I would take it out on him. Alec was a smart pokemon with a positive attitude, and I figured it could be a lot worse than that. Kukui COULD be interested in bad influence.

"Kyouhei!" Hyuu snagged the salt shaker from his pokemon and set it back on the table harshly.

I jolted forward, bumping hands with Hyuu but stopping the little glass vile from falling over.

"You're going to give us bad luck for a month!" I hissed, setting the thing down carefully.

"Kyouhei this guy could be something serious. What if he is like… hunting you or something?"

I rolled my eyes, nibbling on the piece of bread with a twisted smile. "You really have quite an imagination don't you?"

"You don't know this world." He shook his head. "You've lived on a safe little island your whole life, you don't know what people are capable of."

The mock smile on my face faded instantly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I don't want you to ignore this." He ran a hand through his hair nervously, not wanting to fight with me but… if he was going to take a shot at my island then he would have to prepare for a fight.

"I think you need to ignore this actually." I stopped eating all together. "What does it matter? We are going to be leaving this town as soon as we challenge the gym right?"

"And if he follows us?"

"Why would he do that? Hyuu, you are too hyped. You need to chill."

"You're acting like its nothing, and it wasn't. He wa—

"Dude just calm down." I could feel a hint of island slang creeping into my voice—and I wasn't afraid to admit it was out of sheer annoyance. Hyuu didn't like when I said things like "duuuude" or "Chill out mannn".

Hyuu shook his head in slight anger. "You're brother would be cauti—

"Yeah well I'm not him!" I snapped.

Hyuu turned his chin down, glaring heavily with his dark purple red eyes, his thick black lashes lining his eyes inwardly. "Alright. You know what, you're right. You don't have to be. But I will be."

He shoved the chair out callously, making it groan against this diner's linoleum floor. He tucked Alec under his arm.

"Ossh!"

"Squirr!"

"Where are you going!?"

"I'm going to find that DUDE and challenge him. I'll make sure that it's JUST me overreacting, and nothing more."

"Hyuu ar—are you cra—

"You're bill sir…" A quiet lady tapped my shoulder gently, setting a glossy black book down before me.

"Hy—Oh—

I groaned, turning to the waitress and reaching into my pocket for my wallet. Hurriedly I handed her my credit card. "Please hurry."

"Sure…" she said, but didn't seem to hurry at all.

It took them at least a whole minute to bring me back the check and my card—which I signed swiftly and tucked away for later. Slamming my chair back I stood, grabbed the last piece of bread, and ordered Kukui (who looked as if someone had just slapped her) to come on.


	15. Chapter 15

~Hyuu~

Alec grunted and squirmed beneath the weight of my arm bringing him to my side, holding him closely as if I were a loaded gun, ready to fling him into battle at any given moment—at the sight of a very strange green haired man.

How dare he touch Kyouhei—a stranger—like that? How dare he grip his chin so roughly, as if he wanted to break it or crack the tender line of his jaw? How dare he appreciate the freckles that sat upon his cheek bones, and yet… he said nothing that made sense. That man couldn't justify himself at all! He had just been walking our direction and by some chance he got in our way, making the short decision of "battle now, eat later" turn into "get fondled now, and then eat, then battle later".

I was pissed.

If you didn't notice already.

But it wasn't even that I was so mad at that walking strange string bean for touching Kyouhei; but more so the fact that Kyouhei had no initial reaction to him. Sure he pulled away—but if that were me I would have punched him in the face (or at the very least I would have tried to).

And then his pokemon—tiny Pidove or not—attacked Alec without any warning. It just… jumped on him, and while I was focused on the awkward gaze shared between the person I cared about so much and the freak stranger, I had missed the chance at a real battle. All I could do now was try and avenge myself—avenge Kyouhei.

Even though he didn't want avenging of any sort…

But his brother did ask me to look after him…

I stalled, reaching the street corner before the Virbank city gym to find nothing but an empty bottle and some black gumspots on the sidewalk. My stomach flipped in anger, and I had to ask myself what I was thinking now anyways. I mean… fighting this guy…

Grumbling I sat on the curb, pulling Alec into my lap and looking down at him. "Why do I feel so angry?" I muttered.

"Osh." He folded his small hands on his hips, scolding me gently and shaking his head.

I hugged him tight to me for a moment, enjoying the way a pokemon felt in my arms. It wasn't the first time I had held a pokemon near and dear to me, but it surely had been a long time. Sighing inwardly I set my chin on the Oshawott's head.

"I like him…" I told Alec. "I like Kyouhei a lot… and I don't want anyone touching him…"

He turned his large, rounded eyes up at me, blinking once as if he completely understood how I felt—but then shaking his head as if to say no, he didn't. I appreciated it none the less though.

"Do you think he is just—

I was cut off, unprepared for the sudden shriek of a pokemon, and what suddenly came flitting down from the branches of the lush growing tree closest to me. I flinched away from it at first, surprised until it dawned on me—it was a Pidove.

"Alec!" I jolted upright and let him fall to his backside. He rolled once, swiftly and then standing upright to face the dimwitted looking creature.

"Water gun!" I ordered, blurting out the first obvious attack that came to my lips. It could have come out something totally different—an attack Alec didn't know perhaps—but lucky for me my head stayed on firm.

Alec planted his feet determinedly, curling his little paws into fists and then hurling a large gush of water before him—it was surprisingly intimidating and not nearly as repulsive as it could have been. I had never owned a water type pokemon before, but it felt like a trainer that wasn't used to their pokemon regurgitating liquid would be disgruntled. I was glad I wasn't.

The unexpected bird—who I realized at second glance—was not the one I was looking for however. This pokemon didn't belong to the green haired weirdo from before, this pokemon obviously belonged to nothing but the wild. Its little hazy eyes were kind of googly looking, and not intimidating like the yellow ones of the pidove from before.

"Alec…" I said awkwardly as the sopping bird crooned painfully into the sidewalk. Poor victim pokemon. My heart sped up awkwardly.

"Hyuu!" The familiar and lovely accented voice broke through the soft ringing in my ears as I bent beside Alec and put a hand on his chest to stop him.

"I—I'm sorry Pidove." I murmured, as its confused and shocked eyes rolled up to mine. It flapped its wet wings sadly, trying to fly but knowing the water weight was too much for its feathers. I hadn't meant to get into a fight with a wild pokemon—and certainly not an obviously weak one—so my head whirled. There wasn't much I could do to make up to the pokemon.

Except….

Thinking quickly I turned and slipped my fingers along the empty pokeballs at my wrist. This would be the first time I ever tried to catch something, so my hand shook slightly in anticipation.

"Hyuu what the hell?" Kyouhei said loudly as he approached, startling the Pidove even more as I let the ball grow in my palm.

"Pidove…" I mumbled, flipping the shiny new pokeball off my fingertips and letting it crack against the tiny things head. It clicked open and morphed the creature into a lovely red light. It burned my eyes, but somehow I liked it—somehow I was attracted to it.

It stiffened instantly, showing no fight, and the ball rolled to a halt in a crack in the sidewalk. My heart thudded stiffly, maybe it even skipped a beat, and as I looked back up to see Kyouhei standing over me, I realized that he was just as surprised as I was.

"Wha-?" His brow furrowed slightly.

"I—I—caught a pokemon." I murmured, reaching out and taking the ball the tiny Pidove was locked up in—it was warm, like I could feel a minuscule heart pumping with blood in the palm of my hand. I swallowed, knowing that I Alec hadn't felt this way in his pokeball when I help it the first time, but also… I hadn't put him back in the ball since the first time I took him out, so maybe that had something to do with it.

"You left in a rush—like you were going to go get into a street fight!" Kyouhei said exasperated, catching the way Alec looked from the corner of his eye. My pokemon had turned, shoulders back and looking proud as Kukui leaned against her trainers leg, looking irritated at how fast he had fled after me. Was Alec trying to show off?

Probably…

I wondered vaguely if Kyouhei would appreciate me showing off…

Probably NOT.

Shaking my head I stood. "I was… but… that guy is nowhere to be found."

"Well that's stupid…" the island boy folded his arms at me, his face pouting into a perfect angelic anger.

I sighed, too distracted with this sudden capture to think about what I planned on doing if I caught that guy that touched Kyouhei. Plus my anger would only spike again and that wasn't good for me or Kyouhei. I liked to believe that no one should have to feel my rage without a good reason.

"I just want to leave him with a message not to mess with us."

"He wasn't messing with us Hyuu, he probably just thought I was someone else." His eyes rolled as a make believe story fell from his lips. "Maybe he thought I was his long lost faggot lover."

I scowled. "Real funny." That word… at one point in time I may have used it, but not now. Not while someone could classify me as a "faggot". And not to mention it was because I wanted to be Kyouhei's lover.

"Lighten up." Kyouhei nudged me. "Don't you want to challenge the gym instead of searching for some random dude?"

I snorted, looking down at Alec who was all pumped up and looking grand with triumph. Now was as good a time as ever, if we were to challenge Roxie the gym leader. My new Pidove would be no help though… but it wasn't as if I planned on having it for a battle anyways.

"Yeah I guess." I mumbled looking away.

Kyouhei flashed a mind numbing smirk—something that irked me because it looked like he was making fun of me, but also made my heart flutter because it was pretty damn cute.

"You can't get so angry…" he told me, whilst in the movement of turning his back to walk the other direction. "I don't want to travel with someone so angry."

….

~Kyouhei~

Hyuu was going first in this gym battle, deciding that with his pokemon geared up and ready to go, it would only make sense to let Alec fight before Kukui, who was actually looking rather lazy at the moment. Plus it gave me a chance to train Huko a little more—since the gym only allowed one person in at a time.

Roxie had come out, guns blazing and eyes alight because of the rhythm and intricate beat going on in her neon outlines gym. Though Hyuu and I knocked on the doors together, and she revealed the inside to us both, I got the feeling that it was only part of the kind of hell that girl would put us through.

She was short with icy white hair, had the strangest outfit, and seemed to control her pokemon with only the flick of her fingers on an electric guitar that was rather unimpressive if you ask me.

Touya used to play guitar with me, mind you it was acoustic, and I could understand the difference, but still. The gentle sound of a six string on the beach, verses the harsh tang of punk rock and metal was no contest.

Roxie made me realize that I really despise hard core music, and so I wound up sitting on a pier with Kukui in my lap while my hands and fingers thudded evenly on my thighs. I missed my bongos, I realized when the sun began to set and the gross toxic ocean water sluggishly crawled up to touch my toes as they dangled—it didn't even feel like water, it felt like slime.

Huko was curled up behind me, away from the water's edge and tired from the few exorcises I had him and Kukui do just before we came to sit here. He was a strong little pokemon, with thick skin that seemed to hold up well when he got harmed (Kukui head-butt him pretty harshly during a mock battle and somehow it didn't break skin even when it was on a tender spot). I was learning to appreciate the fire pig pokemon quickly in this relationship we had, even if it wasn't as smart or interested as Kukui was, he was still a good team member.

Aimlessly I picked at my pocket, feeling the ridges of the wetsuit beneath my shorts and then coming across to the thin shape of my brother's old pokedex. I stalled, wondering what exactly there was on the inside of that dex, and then reminding myself that the only reason I hadn't taken a peek at his notes yet was because I wasn't sure I was ready for it yet. Could I handle the adventures he had? Since he was a regional hero… I wasn't sure. It seemed like such a huge title. How could he even still be my brother?

I pulled the pokedex out slowly, hold it in my hands and stared at the scratched screen. When was the last time it had been turned on?

With a flinch I flipped open the screen and pushed up on the power button. And it took a moment, seeming to wake up from its dormant state of mind, lulling and pulling back the memories from two years ago. Memories in which it would regurgitate to me; the second brother of the Black family.

I felt like I was holding not only a highly intelligent machine, but a creature of its own as the screen winked to life, letting out a similar, but deeper sounding tone than the one that sounded when my own dex turned on. A vibration shook through my palms, and almost instantly it barked a throaty sound at me, startling Kukui and flashing a light. I nearly through the thing in concern, wondering if my brother had planted me with a bomb rather than a pokedex.

_Squirtle. The tiny turtle pokemon..._ a hasty female voice said, recording the new data as if it had never been shut down two years ago. Kukui glared at it in confusion, listening to the ramble of information go about surprisingly right and factual. I was thoroughly surprised actually, thinking that it wouldn't record my pokemon because… I was under the impression that Touya had already filled the dex completely. I had to remind myself that there were many different pokemon in Unova than there were on the Island we grew up on—Squirtle wasn't found here so my brother never recorded it.

Now interested I fiddled with the controls, making little bleeps as my thumbs clicked about the buttons and turning it this way and that until I could understand that there was only two main sections in this dex: date and recordings/memo, and the pokemon library, where all the information was stored about breeds and types and attack moves that came along with a species of pokemon.

I clicked to it simply, surprised to find that there was just SO MUCH, labeled in order by a number system I just couldn't comprehend. Shouldn't it be alphabetical order? The first pokemon on the list was called "Victini", who I instinctually wanted to call "victani" because of my island roots.

It was small and furry, with large ears and small wings protruding from its backside, and my brother apparently saw it on January fifth last year, though there wasn't much about it as far as moves or attacks go. The little thing didn't seem all that relevant in comparison to the next pokemon on the list.

It was a picture of his Snivy—the very pokemon that he had lounging around outside his porch or in his kitchen today. It was fast, it was swift, and it was far more attractive than the one I had seen Rosa receive. My brother's first partner pokemon was more humble as well, and by the description it gave, apparently it was calm and collected. I found it interesting to see that in a smaller folder there was many pictures of this Snivy while it was growing up, and into the way it looked as a Servine, and later finally a Serperior. My brother obviously loved that pokemon very much, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for it. Hard to believe that even Hero's pokemon had to start somewhere. They needed room to grow as well.

"Kyouhei?"

I jolted at the sound of my voice, dropping my brothers beloved pokedex and narrowly avoiding kicking it into the gross bay water. Kukui managed to stop it in its tracks, lucky for me.

Hyuu came stooping in quietly, his arms folding into his lap as he took a deep breath.

"Did you beat her?" I asked, taking the pokedex and setting it safely between my folded legs—I would never live it down if I dropped it.

Hyuu looked forward at the casting sunset over the stark algae covered water. He wiped his brow line simply and took a longer, deeper breath. "I did." The smallest smile crept across his lips. "But just barely… Alec… got really hurt. He's at the pokecenter right now."

I scowled, knowing that this was exactly what I was afraid of—my pokemon being crippled and scarred like my older brothers. I looked at Kukui sadly as her large cat-like eyes peered up at me, a glassy ocean blue. What would I do if something happened to her? Even Huko now… I would never forgive myself if something terrible happened.

"We need more training." Hyuu announced. "I don't feel very accomplished even though we won. I feel like it should have been an easy battle but it wasn't. We were awkward and kind of uncoordinated."

"That makes me not want to battle…" I mumbled inwardly, picturing the three legged Zebstrika and the blind Sawbuck that lived at the Flocessy Ranch between here and Aspertia. My brother had put them in so much danger… and now Hyuu, even he looked like he was regretting something.

"No." he shook his head. "It wasn't all bad… it was exciting and amazing. And I have never felt so powerful before! A—and you should have seen it when Alec dodged this one attack! It was SO CLOSE, but he somehow managed to get out of the way in time, and then he attacked and we won. Kyouhei… it was like he was fighting for my life. He kept looking back at me when I seemed to stutter or second guess myself, he wouldn't stop though, and he was brave…"

I rolled my eyes softly, shaking my head and petting Kukui at the same time.

"Then it's worth it?"

"It was completely one hundred and ten percent worth it." Hyuu dug into his pocket and pulled out a small black booklet which would hold all his badges. "Look."

It was bubbly looking, and purple with little silver things off the top of it that made it look almost like it was exploding or radiating. "That's cool." I allowed, trying not to fight the spark of envy in my stomach. Hyuu may have harmed his pokemon but he DID receive a badge, something that signified great achievement. I was jealous—but just a little.

"Congratulations." I said while fiddling with the pokedex in my lap.

"Thanks!" Hyuu perked up, sending me one of his sideways crooked smiles. "So… what have you been doing? Has that green bean been around at all?"

"No." I scoffed. "And I was just looking through my brother's old pokedex…"

"It is interesting?"

I nodded, pulling it out of my lap and flicking the screen up again—it was left on Serperior's picture.

"Ooh~" Hyuu peeked over at first, then scooted, filling the space between us so that he could see my fingers had pushed the button that lead to the next. "Let me see."

"Tepig." I read, making Huko's ear flick up against my back from where he lay behind me. "But it doesn't look exactly like Huko."

"Well all pokemon are different."

"True."

Hyuu smiled again, this time lighter as the sun bathed his cheeks softly. " What about Oshawott?"

I flicked over a few pokemon and found the small water pokemon. It didn't look the same as Alec either, though the differenced were less noticeable than on Tepig or Snivy. I clicked to Dewott then, and finally Samorott, which make Hyuu beam with excitement.

"Wow…" he breathed looking at the screen with the picture of the large and stunning beast. I could feel the tension of earlier slipping away as we sat, like the clicking of the dex, flicking away like the sun over the horizon.

"I can't wait until Alec grows that big." Hyuu added.

My eyes instinctively looked down at Kukui again, but she was curled up in her shell against my legs, ignoring or sleeping I couldn't tell. I wanted Kukui to get bigger and stronger too…

"Hmmmn…" Hyuu stifled a yawn. "Can we go back to the hotel and look at these?"

I shrugged, not so fond of this sunset anyways, and needing a reason to stop by food places again—how could I be so hungry all the time?

"Sure." I agreed, planting my hand on Hyuu's knee in order to push myself up. I shut Touya's pokedex and slipped it into my pocket before calling back Huko and nudging Kukui.

"We should get a good night sleep anyways… I guess I will challenge the gym tomorrow…"


	16. Chapter 16

~Touya~

"Hey broski." I cocked my head to the side as I answered the phone in my bedroom, eagerly awaiting the news from my little brother that would hopefully be nothing but good. I was standing in my towel though, uninterested in getting dressed while I had Kyouhei on the other line—I wanted to know how far he had gotten.

"Hey." Kyouhei murmured, stifling a yawn. "Good morning, I was calling to tell you that I'm challenging Leader Roxie today… and… to be honest I wanted to know if you could tell me what to expect… or how to prevent my pokemon from really getting hurt…"

What? What was that? My little stubborn brother calling me for advice? Heart flooding with warmth I flopped down on my bed and ran a hand through my damp hair.

"Well I never battled Roxie but I will let you in on a little secret." I said. "Apparently she is an only child. And according to news articles and Cheren, she has very few friends and she was born in Hoenn. She's only eighteen, which was younger than all the other gym leaders, an—

"Woah woah, Touya… what's this got to do with the battle?" Kyouhei cut me off suspiciously.

I snickered. "It's important to know your opponents." I explained. "But… ok if you want strategy then I would say use your sturdy pokemon to your advantage. Have you caught anything?"

"Not exactly…" I could hear him shuffling on the other end. "But Huko and I have been training a lot and Kukui is already stronger than him so…"

"Kukui may only be stronger than Huko because of the type advantage." I warned. "Try not to rely on only Kukui in this battle. It may be second nature but… don't. Battles are all about team work and from what I know Roxie has at least two pokemon to put up against you."

I listened to the sound of his friend in the background, scolding something or someone for being unruly.

"Hyuu told me that poison pokemon are weak to psychic and ground." Kyouhei went on. "Maybe I should try and get a new one first…"

"You sound very unsure." I commented. "Kyou there is no rush to battling, if you don't feel ready."

"It's not that I don't feel ready it's just… I don't want my pokemon hurt… so maybe if I catch more than the chance will be less and Kukui and Huko wo—

"I know how you feel." I cut him off. "You feel like if you catch new pokemon to battle for you, you won't be attached to them and it won't hurt you if they end up hurt. But the thing is… you can't just assume having strange pokemon to your party will make you feel any better. You can't sacrifice pokemon for the good of the ones you love. You have to believe in them and trust them."

Though I personally never felt this was about pokemon, I couldn't imagine catching more just to watch them fail. That to me was cruelty, and I knew that Kyouhei would just end up caring about them anyways. He couldn't escape the connection between him and pokemon, but what he had to learn was that the connection would always be there if he just gave it a chance.

Maybe I scarred him. Maybe taking him to see my crippled pokemon was a bad idea—not to mention he knew that one of my pokemon died in that battle anyways. He had seen all this and I got the feeling he thought any battle would mangle and destroy his pokemon, when in truth they were sturdier than that. Pokemon were born to fight, that's why they had the powers they did. And what they lacked in their structure was leadership—a quality that only humans contain. That's what made us so prevailing together.

"I'm just…" Kyouhei trailed off, not sure of what to say. "I don't want to lose them…"

I perched my lips at the phone. "You won't."

"How can you say that for sure?"

"You just have to trust me."

I could nearly hear him shaking his head on the other line. "Alright… fine… I will trust you, but if something happens I won't ever speak to you again."

"Don't trust me trust your pokemon."

"You just said to trust you!"

"I lied, trust them."

"Fuck you Touya."

"Yeah yeah, love you too." I laughed lightly as he hung up the phone. I was beginning to think that fighting was all we had left in us. But I knew that he was just scared, so I wasn't concerned. He would come back around, he always did. Plus, maybe a little anger at his big brother would make for a good spicy battle later—hopefully he would learn to channel his anger through battling. That would be ideal.

Things had gotten pretty lonely around here without Kyouhei, and even though he had only been here for a few weeks, I felt like I had always had my brother at my side. It felt like he was further than ever before, so just hearing his voice made me morning. I tossed the phone aside and flipped my towel off—force of habit when I'm alone—and strode butt naked to the dresser in the furthest corner of my room.

Serperior, who was so interested in licking the water droplets off my legs when I got out of the shower, followed me faithfully, slithering about and threatening to trip me when I wasn't looking. I rubbed her eager head gently, pushing down on the smooth scales and patting her gently as I dug through the drawers with my other hand.

Halfway through getting dressed I heard a soft knock at my door, the same familiar knock that had been thudding against the door for far too long now—and sadly it had only been three days since my brother left.

Lizzie, the neighborhood cutie-pie had been spending time at my house because her mother worked and no one seemed interested in babysitting. She was a good kid, so there wasn't much I could complain about, but she had this way of making me feel like I was missing something. As if I wasn't the big brother I used to be because her big brother was the best thing in the whole world.

Thinking that I could compete with a brother like Hyuu, who spent a huge portion of his life, enjoying the company of this little girl, and playing with her and protecting her and finding her when—Arceus forbid—she went missing. I wanted to tell myself that it wasn't my fault Lizzie loved her brother so much, but rather I was just jealous because Kyouhei and I weren't close like that.

Kyouhei and I used to be so close it was hard to let it go… especially when I could sense Lizzie fading from her brother's mind, subconsciously. Hyuu must be so busy that he didn't even have time to call home—or he was just losing interest.

I know that when I left the Island (even though they didn't have phones there) I never bothered to write a letter or anything. Kyouhei had faded from my mind and into oblivion for so long. For two years I actually forgot I had a brother. It was just… something that happened. I had let it all go. I had let it be taken from me, which made me feel for Lizzie, who was on the opposite end of the stick.

She missed her big brother, and that was that. So it made me wonder if Kyouhei had missed me when I first left… and if he did, when did he get over it and move on without me? When did he realize that I had grown up without him?

"Just a minute!" I yelled, stumbling into my pants and then pulling on my shirt before half-running out into the house. The faint knock subsided as I yelled. Odd… because Lizzie always kept knocking until I answered.

Serperior curled around my feet as I stopped at the door and opened it.

"Hey Liz—Cheren?"

My inky haired best friend stood before me, his dark ocean blue eyes shimmering and his delicate nose scrunched up awkwardly as if he had smelled something bad—only I knew this wasn't the reason. Cheren made that face when he was nervous, point blank.

"What's wrong?" I asked, opening the door and inviting him in. Though he made no suggestion to move.

His face turned a shameful rosy pink.

"W—Will you kiss me?"

…..

~Kyouhei~

"Alright you guys… I—I trust you." I said, breathing deeply as we stood outside the gym doors. My faithful Kukui and my eager Huko stood before me, looking up with wide eyes—especially Huko who seemed to shake with excitement—at me. They wanted a leader… I could see that, but I wasn't sure I could be that.

Hyuu put his hand on my shoulder and shook me lightly. "Unleash your rage on Roxie."

Alec, now scarred across his hip from his battle yesterday, touched Kukui's hand, giving her a slight nod of encouragement. I scowled, unable to deny the affection in their eyes—it was literally killing me to know that my pokemon had fallen in love. We had an agreement didn't we? Love sucks. End. Of. Story.

"Yeah… come on Kukui… Huko." I murmured, pushing my shoulders back and feeling the shape of my brother pokedex against my leg as it sat in my shorts. I was ready… I trusted them…

"Good luck." Hyuu said quietly. "I'm going to be at the docks, talking to someone about getting us a ticket to the mainland."

I nodded. "I'll find you later." And went into the doors slowly.

The building itself was short and narrow, with a single lamp illuminating the front desk area, where I was supposed to check in to the apparent man who was sleeping with the back of a pen in his mouth. My initial thought was "How could anyone sleep with such a rancid smell in here?" but it was soon covered by "how could someone sleep with all this noise?!"

The gym itself was separated from the lobby, but from behind a solid door I could hear horrific blaring rock and roll music; slamming bashing drums, guitars howling mercilessly like demons, and bass thumping so much the ground actually trembled here and there. I was repulsed, disoriented, and unequipped to even THINK about moving on into the arena…

But I had to. I wanted to… I was a trainer, this was what they do.

Kukui tucked her head a little further into her shell to block out the noise, and Huko was fidgeting nervously as the vibrations made his hooves rattle against the floor. This was… this wasn't good. Why didn't Hyuu warn me about all the distractions going on?

"H—Hey!" I said walking up to the guy at the counter, who looked like a pasty zombie that hadn't seen sunlight in years. His eyes were grey and the hair on his chin needed to be shaved, not to mention the dark purple circles under his eyes.

"I'm here to challenge Roxie!" I said as he looked at me and then stuck his thumb backwards to the door-a gesture to go in there.

"Don't I have to sign in?"

"WHUT?

"Don't I have to SIGN IN?"

"YEAH! SHE'S IN THE BACK!" He pointed again, completely missing the point of my question.

I glared for a second before turning and heading to the solid door. It was heavy, huge, and a harsh metallic chill wafted from it, as if the only warmth it had been given was the warmth of poison—and that irked me. I felt sick just touching the door, let alone going inside the much larger arena area.

It was huge, there was smoke and fumes everywhere, music pumping bass going, scattered groups of people in mosh pits—none of which paid any attention to me. I was daunted, shocked, bamboozled, whatever other ridiculous word you wanted to insert here, because I couldn't explain myself. Where all gyms this crazy? My knees felt weak with the vibrations as I tried to walk forward, closer to the stage where the purple and green smoke machines were blasting so thick and so bipolar in temperature (one second hot, one second cold) that I could literally feel my hair inflate with moisture. I was sweating with a chill, the kind of feeling you got after working out in the heat and walking into a cool building.

As I stepped heavily on the ground, Huko and Kukui following carefully so that they wouldn't get lost in the fog, I realized that the ground was getting narrower, with more people filling the spaces around me and less room for this concert to be safe. It screamed hazard—people looked to be getting high off of her fumes for Arceus sake! And yet I was completely, one hundred and ten percent ignored. No one threatened me like they did each other, no one acknowledged me with a nod, no one so much as did anything except bump into me and keep going.

I felt so out of place it wasn't even funny. Was this the life of a trainer? Was this the kind of situations we were to be put through?

I covered my ears to the screaming as it got louder, heavier, a irrational metal that blared and howled like a exploud to the people of such despicable dancing—mosh pits, I thought they were a myth actually…

Suddenly it stopped though, screeching to a halt and creating an utter, delusional silence across the crowds and the fog that settled on the ground because of thick coolers. I rubbed my eyes, feeling that Huko and Kukui were touching my leg to show me that they were still fighting with me—that they hadn't lost hope yet.

"HERE WE GO AGAIN!" a voice screeched from up on the stage spotlights flickering and bass rumbling as she snapped a cord on her much too large guitar. "LISTEN YOU CLIT SUCKER~ BOW BEFORE ME AND SHOW ME WHATCHU GOT~ THIS BATTLE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"

W—what?

The ground snarled and moaned, shaking, rumbling and snarling to life as the stage shifted, moving around here until she stood on a single platform. The rest flattered, the punks that inhabited the arena floor scattered to the sidelines while shouting curses like no other.

"ARE YOU READY HONEY BUN?" She pulled a pokeball out of nowhere and spun it on her finger. "TOO LATE IF YOU ARE NOT!"

A single guitar cord screeched like no other, signaling the start of our battle.

Fuck.


	17. Chapter 17

~Kyouhei~

I couldn't see as the lights flooded my eyes, blaring spiraling out of control like a bad dream. The darkness was nipping at my heels, threatening to knock me over as the bass rumbled in my chest, making my hear feel heavy and sluggish—and yet so powerfully fast I couldn't take it. My breath was gone, or at the very least ragged and shot. I couldn't bring myself to understand just what happened here. Was this what every battle felt like?

"Huko!" I coughed madly hearing the loud explosion of a pokemon into battle, literally though—an explosion that seemed to rock the northern wall beyond the gym leader.

Why hadn't Hyuu warned me about this!?

I cynical and murderous laugh came and a pair of hollow red eyes illuminated from the girl with the heavy metal music spewing from her fingertips. I felt like I was losing a battle to her, not even a pokemon because there was none around!

"Huko! Ember!" I commanded, but was met with the fiery face to face.

Shaking back I felt chips of coal and what felt like lava pierce my skin through the wetsuit and clothes I wore. My shoulder stung, and I let out a pained gasp. "NOT ME!"

But he couldn't hear me much anymore, not while the music subsided and rose again, even stronger and a pokemon resembling a ball shot out of the smoke and landed a fatal hit on my poor Huko.

Huko was an Island word for strength and courage… something that I knew my pokemon had a lot of, however… watching him get hurt was probably the most sickening, weakening thing I could have been through.

I nearly fell to my knees as poison blobs were flung about. "HUKO!"

The small pig pokemon sprung upwards, landing halfway on its side but dodging what looked to be a tackle attack. I could only see shadows through the smoke, and I couldn't quite hear anything, but I knew that we had just done something that was going to help us. The upper hand, if only for a second, was ours. The poison pokemon crashes into the ground with a mild groaning noise.

"Huko! Agility!" I commanded, coughing madly. My eyes stung watching the lumpy ball pokemon float about, its rock hard shell somehow able to levitate because it was hollow or something—I didn't understand. It shook slightly, releasing small steam puffs of noxious gas as an odd chord played. It was only now that I realized that pokemon didn't hear the attacks through words—it heard its commands through notes on the guitar.

"Fire spin?" I coughed, knowing that fire spin wasn't an attack my pokemon knew. "Flame burst! Eruption! SOMETHING!?" I blurted, realizing that this was going to be misery.

The laughter strung out as I shuffled through my pocket for my brothers pokedex—it might be too late but it might tell me something. ANYTHING. I flipped the screen open and booted it up as quickly as I could, trying to ignore the crashing sounds of Huko dodging attacks.

_Just keep it on the move… we are faster._ I begged as I squinted to see the screen—it read scanning as I pointed it about, trying to follow the harsh jagged ball shape that grew closer and then further—only now did I realize I was sort of in the middle of the battlefield. I stumbled back, flinching and hating this with all my might. Kukui clung to my leg as I fled to the opposite side of the arena where I was out of the way.

If there was something I noticed about this particular way of battling, it was tht there was religious breaks between rifts and I could gouge when the next cord would break, so in a sense I had a slim opening to yell out a command, but it was much less often that she gave.

The pokedex lit up to life with the image of a pokemon I had never seen before—and yet it was the exact same shape as the shadow moving through the smoke at my partner. Huko dodged it easily, but was wearing out quickly from the looks of it.

The thing was a poison type—go figure—with the name "koffing", and a nasty sightless grin on its face. It had jagged teeth, and a fat upper lip that reminded me of a Magikarp's. The whole thing was a sight to be scene, but upon flipping through my brothers notes I found that what I had known from before was correct—psychic and fighting pokemon would get the job done. Sadly I had neither of those.

What was I going to do?

I stared at the button frantically as a wave of fire shot through the smoke, nearly burning my eye brows off and making me yelp. I slipped in a puddle of sludge then, falling back and NOT catching myself in order to protect my brother's beloved pokedex. Kukui narrowly avoided being squashed to death, and I found that the fog was worse down here. Moaning and ignoring the laughter from both my opponent and her side-line watchers I grit my teeth, racking my brain for anything.

There was nothing though, my brother didn't know much about the poison pokemon Koffing, and it was going to be a waste of my time if I just let this go as it was. Feeling sick inside I floundered about the fog and the slick of oil or—something beneath me. My stomach curled as it bound me to the ground, being thick as syrup and hard to get out of. My pants button stuck, then ripped away, along with a nice slit in my wetsuit. The moisture of slime stung my backside as I stood again, finding Tepig this time on Touya's pokedex.

There had to be something—something that could get me through this. Something stronger than ember and not irrational like eruption. What attacks did this pokemon know? Was I just a shitty trainer?

"Ahh!" I ducked again, narrowly avoiding a blob of the same black sludge. I pushed my hair back then, pissed at the nature of this battle. It was out of control!

I flipped through attacks on the fire pig pokemon, until finally I came across something.

Huko was worn, barely dodging and exhausted at this point.

"Huko!" I yelled between the guitar and the drums, dodging its noise and revealing a shallow ringing in my ears. "FLAME CHARGE!"

But no. There was no time. My beloved pokemon dropped to its knees and then to its side, practically dead by the looks of the black poison clinging to its body. It was bad, sucking the life out of him slowly but surely. I flinched as a single tackle attack sent him skidding across the floor.

Tears threatened to swell in my eyes. What was the point in this?! Pokemon getting hurt for what? A badge? It wasn't a badge to me; it was just a piece of metal with some sparkly paint on it. I opened my mouth to surrender, mind set on calling this whole thing off. I could go home—or at least back to my brother's house where I could avoid my pokemon being killed in a worthless battle like this.  
"St—ST—

Suddenly a wave of light erupted, from the furthest corner of the room where Huko had fallen. It was orange and red, brilliantly bright and sailing up to the ceiling where the fire alarms hiccupped, lost track of all their composure, and then started wailing to high heavens.

If I thought it was loud before…

It screamed, making me and Kukui cover our ears in unison, twisting our faces into agony.

The good part?

The music stopped. One hundred percent stopped as a lightning fast four legged creature shot across the floor, skidding under the last tackle attack, then turning and lashing out with a glowing inferno of an attack—flame charge.

My brother's pokedex didn't l—no

My brother didn't lie.

Touya knew somehow, the inner strength of these creatures and even though my initial reaction was to call the whole thing off… apparently not.

The lights shut off as the fog mixed with black charcoal smelling smoke. A second later the fire alarms stopped. Then finally the waves of rain came pouring down from the ceiling, disposing of the fire that my pokemon caused.

Huko collapsed for good then.

But Koffing too…

My heart raced and my ears rung for mercy as the gym leader stood above, looking down at her pokemon, completely fainted or knocked out or Arceus forbid—was it dead? Her eyes were narrow with a sort of suspicion, but her mouth was tightening in a sense of which I knew she was cry.

"I—I'm sorry!" I dropped to my knees under the pouring sprinkler systems.

She looked my way, plucked the same pokeball out of nowhere, and returned the Koffing that was so badly damaged.

"H—Huko…" felt tears swelling for the pig pokemon as I pulled my own pokeball out and called him back. Hadnt Hyuu reacted this way when Alec got hurt? My stomach gurgled for composure, but in the midst of the darkness and the smoke and the sudden, abrupt silence it was too much. I could see the faint color of blood across the dark floor, and with that a world of hell broke through my body. I gagged, pushing my brothers pokedex back into my pocket and trying to stop the feeling of sick before me. Again it was too much, and I wound up hurling all over the floor, the rancid taste of toxins in my body.

"Well…" Roxie, the ruthless leader looked down at me. "I would say I have one more pokemon to battle… but in this condition… you look like you've had enough."

I nodded in agreement, spitting and trembling.

"It was a good battle… and I'm impressed so…"

There was a gentle clattering sound, and then the silent retreat of the leader and her enclosed pokemon.

Kukui patted my shoulder gently as I tried to clear my head, though dry heaving this time and coughing miserably—where had the toxins gotten into me? How could this air be legal? How could any of this be legal?

"Squirr.." Kukui hugged me lightly before disappearing for a moment, walking as if she would go to the stage, but then stopping, turning and awkwardly picking up some small emblem.

She returned with it in her hand, holding it out to me and revealing the one thing I was certain I wasn't expecting.

A badge.

…..

~Hyuu~

Poor baby… in all his sick glory he couldn't even find the strength to eat.

Laying in the hotel room bed was Kyouhei, occasionally moaning or cursing as I sat beside him, my mind playing horrific tricks on me because I knew he was laying on his stomach, and yet I kept picturing his milky brown eyes turning up and looking at me, and his dick would be swollen and hot with purple tinted colored flesh, longing for attention as mine did so enthusiastically (but beneath the discomfort of my jeans).

Kyouhei burnt his ass today, slipping in the gym and ripping through his wetsuit so that the acid from Roxie's Koffing could seep onto his skin, and he was convinced that if ice was not left on it with slight pressure he would never be able to live again. And I never said I had a problem with this, but since he was weak from the aftershock of being violently ill, I was the one that got the joy of catering to his every wish. Trust me I had no problem doing that either.

I got to stare at his perfect toned gluts as he lay uncaringly and stark naked in the blankets, not moving and breathing very carefully because apparently it hurt in his lungs when he did.

"I wasn't affected by her fumes at all…" I murmured, holding the small bathroom towel wrapped around the ice pack to his butt tenderly.

"Fuck you." He whispered.

I frowned. "You could be a little nicer." I commented. "I am icing your ass you know."

He grunted, knowing that this could feel a hell of a lot worse if I wasn't keeping the acid burn numb.

"And you got your badge! Don't you feel accomplished?"

He showed no sign of answering me directly, but rather looked away so I couldn't see just how sad his eyes got. One word described how he felt about all of this.

"Huko…"

"Huko is fine." I told him. "The nurse even said that Alec took on more damage yesterday than Huko did today."

Kyouhei shifted slightly, fidgeting under my explanation. HE made it quite clear earlier that he didn't want to talk about his battle now. He wanted to sleep, but since it wouldn't come with his burn I wound up in this situation.

"I feel like I failed." Kyouhei told me. "And she gave me that badge… she still had one more pokemon left, but she thought that I had enough so she just GAVE me the badge."

"Well that's nice."

"That's not nice!" He argued. "That's pity Hyuu! And I don't need pity from anyone."

I sighed. "Well you still had Kukui right? She would have beaten the other pokemon…"

He didn't answer me.

Slowly I moved my hand from the ice, pulling it off and inspecting the wound in his left cheek suspiciously. It was red and purple, with a shallow patch of skin that had been eaten away by the initial burn. The whole thing was rather disgusting to look at, but after asking the nurse at the pokemon center about it she said that it wasn't uncommon for people to be affected by pokemon status attacks. She said Kyouhei was lucky he hadn't been frozen instead (which I agreed with completely).

"Does it look like it feels?" Kyouhei wondered as I set the ice back down, thinking about how happy I was to know he trusted me with his body. It seemed like a comforting side-effect to being best friends, but at the same time I wondered if he was this way with other people from the Island he grew up on. Surely he must have had someone to ice his ass for him there…

I nodded. "It's pretty gross."

He sighed again. "Should I call my brother about it?"

I screwed up my face in discomfort. If my little sibling was on a pokemon journey and she got an acid burn I wouldn't want her to call and tell me because I wouldn't want to worry more than I already would be.

"Won't he just worry about you?" I mused, hoping in the back of my mind that nothing like this would ever happen to Lizzie.

Kyouhei shrugged. "Touya doesn't worry much…"

"Hmmph." I huffed under my breath. You would think someone like the great Hero "Black", that had experienced so much hell, would be cautious of everything. But of course then again, maybe he was the opposite because he knew what it was really like out there and maybe to him an acid burn was nothing really fatal. Personally with Kyouhei, I was just sad that his pretty little left bun would be scarred—this was only after I knew he would be ok though.

"I wish I had that aspect of him…" my island love sighed. "He is so nonchalant… it pisses me of because I can't be like that."

My heart fluttered. Was Kyouhei opening up to me? I had to wonder if maybe his bare naked ass wasn't the only thing exposed to me right now.

"Do you ever think maybe he wishes he could be like you?"

He snorted. "Why would he want to be like me? No. I don't think he ever has thought that. I think maybe all he thinks is that I should be more like him…"

I perched my lips in contemplation. This wasn't the same situation that me and Lizzie had, but of course as a big brother I had some sense of judgment for the things Touya did. If it were me in his place, I wouldn't necessarily want Lizzie to be more like me, but I would want her to experience some of the more wonderful things that I got to.

"Maybe…" I agreed, unable to tell Kyouhei that I thought differently—it was one of the bad habits I had with him. I couldn't point out when I thought he was wrong or misjudging something. He was too stubborn and I was afraid that he would take it personally. I didn't want to upset him, especially when he was like this; so vulnerable.

"But hey you should still call him and tell him you won the battle!" I suggested after a long moment of silence, glad that his eyes were closed so I could stair at his plump little butt and count the few freckles between the sharp tan lines in the small of his back. I wanted to lean down and kiss that shallow dip where his spine curved and his tail bone met.

"Mmm…" He took a deeper, somehow calmer breath. "Alright… I will tomorrow…"

I smirked slightly.

Knowing Kyouhei he wouldn't call.


	18. Chapter 18

~N~

It wasn't my intention to betray my course and back track into potential danger… but upon finding that the strange boy and his companion, Hyuu, were actually going on a ship to the mainland (Castalia City to be specific) I decided that it was worth taking a chance. Originally I planned on going all the way up through Flocessy Ranch to the next town of Aspertia, where I might find some piece of mind or even some land to rather camp out in piece with. I was planning on settling soon, since after two years of running no one had found me, and the Shadow Triad had backed off (courtesy of a very righteous and undercover girl that wouldn't talk to me but applied herself in hunting the trio—Touko, a self made spy). I was still on the run though, and that meant that I was willing to go where the wind took me.

Which also meant that I was going to Castalia City instead of Aspertia. And why exactly? Well… because that strange young freckled boy with the accent was headed there with his not so strange but awkward best friend. It was irrational of me to base a decision off of that alone of course, but the way things were going I didn't see why not.

His name was Kyouhei, which I found out only by peeking at his passport on the ship docs where my flourishing green hair was pinned up and shielded by a fedora. No one recognized me this way since the obvious feature was my green hair, so I wasn't fazed with walking a few steps behind the duo and spying on their information.

Kyouhei was a strange name that came from a strange place, and what killed me even more was the fact that stamped next to his name was the letter B, seeming to taunt me and my past about the last name "Black". I wanted to hear him say it… just maybe once if he would say his last name I would hear it and know that I wasn't going crazy. There was dozens of last names that started with the letter B, so why should I assumed just because he had freckles that it was the name Black?

I wasn't so childish as to believe that this was some miracle boy coming to tell me that he shared blood with the great "Touya Black" that saved Unova from none other than myself and my band of misfits, but at the same time I had no real explanation for the way my heart seemed to thud when he slowed and I came closer behind his back in the crowd. He was short, lean, and careful in the way he walked and held his pokemon—which I could tell was very, VERY much. I found myself drawn into this, surprised to see such a compassionate… silence between the two. They exchanged no glances and yet I could clearly see the trust imbued between them. Partner and pokemon. Like it was supposed to be.

I didn't know what I wanted out of this boy, but the worst part was that I did know I had felt this way before—in the very beginning after the first time I saw my beloved Blackie out in the streets of Accumula Town. It wasn't love nor hate I felt in the pit of my stomach, but more of a violent curiosity—the kind that wanted things harsh and sour. I wanted that boy… in a way I couldn't comprehend but I knew I wanted him. Whether it be want as in, grab him by the back of the head and smash his precious little face into the metal frame of the splintery docks, or want as in I wanted to look deeper into those muted milky brown eyes and find out what he really was all about.

I just wanted him. I wanted ownership. Like the way a pokemon be trapped in a ball—I wanted him.

Last night, when I realized how strong this want was, I cried. For the first time since the night I left Touya to die atop my own Plasma Castle, I cried. I bawled my fucking eyes out because I had to come to terms with this feeling of self hate and loss before I could understand the new shining want in my dark, faithless soul. A part of me had crumbled last night. A part of my mindset which was devoted to Blackie and Blackie alone, had been lost to this new want and I had to come to terms with that—not all of my heart belonged to Touya anymore.

Not to say all my love didn't still belong to him. Dead or not nothing would ever change the way my heart felt about him—that's why it had been dead for the last two years I lived without him. I was but a spirit searching a wasteland of emotionless zombies within myself. Every single cell in my body—no—every flagella and cytoplasm and nucleus that belonged to ever cell in my body seemed to be filled with dread. It was a gloom I suffered in for far too long and yet after meeting this boy only two days ago I felt as though maybe some of those cells had been filled with fire again.

A tiny fraction of my being had changed, and yet… I hated it. I hated it will all my being because I was afraid. I was afraid of interest. I was afraid of people being interested in me, and I was afraid of being interested in anyone else—that's why Touya being dead was my only priority up until now.

"Ticket sir?" A voice cut me off, shaking the dread and thoughts from my head as I realized I had waltzed right up into the line to board the ship, and a man fleeing to and from had stopped beside me. Nervous I reached for my fedora—an accessory that had always looked good on my head, especially when bits of my hair stuck out around my ears—and pushed it down tighter.

"Sorry." I said in a quiet, almost nonexistence voice, moving then to take the scrappy ticket I had bought just a little while ago out of my pocket and give it to the man. He nodded and ripped the frayed line on the end swiftly before giving it back and leaving for the next passenger in line.

"This is exciting huh?" Hyuu, the navy haired, spiky haired, and crazy haired teen that stood beside the freckled one—Kyouhei—spoke up, hugging his Oshawott tighter to his chest. The small pokemon made a sustained grunt at the gesture, obviously still sore from a battle that took place the day before. I watched carefully as it leaned over its master's grip and smiled at the other water pokemon being held across from it.

iKukui…/i the Oshawott seemed to beg lovingly for attention.

iStop Alec. Kyouhei is talking/i the Squirtle replied, her voice muted under the tone of her trainer, who was mid sentence about something.

"…Not only that." The freckled boy said in his familiar accent. "But it just seems… so far."

Hyuu grinned, looking tempted to sling his arm over his friends shoulder and shake the depression from his eyes. "Come on! This is a new thing so of course it's scary, but it's also pretty amazing. Think of all the new pokemon we can catch? And maybe on the way there we can train a little? A lot of people are boarding, they must all have pokemon right?"

Not exactly… I thought silently. Many of the people boarding this ship today looked to be tourists, just taking a break for the weekend in Castalia. And I hadn't heard any other pokemon around here—except for Zoroark who so simply disguised herself as a Swanna and flew on ahead to Castalia.

"I don't want to battle until I know Huko is ok." Kyouhei murmured.

"You got the ok from the pokemon center Kyouhei…"

Well that was different… It seemed as though Kyouhei didn't actually WANT to battle. It seemed as though he was more interested in keeping his pokemon wrapped in his arms tightly than throwing them out into battle—how strange for a trainer. I held back a cold, lifeless laugh at the thought of challenging him myself.

Hyuu would accept it hands down… but he wouldn't win. I was unstoppable.

The only time I ever lost was when I battled Touya… and Touya was dead now so… as far as I was concerned there was no way anyone could beat me. Especially not some pubescent boy with too much happy for not enough reason.

I stared interestedly at the two, their pokemon, listening to the things they said and finding that none of it was any help to me—except maybe the fact that Kyouhei seemed to argue with whatever Hyuu said. I quite enjoyed that actually—but not without wondering why I seemed to dislike the boy. He had done nothing wrong to me, and he stuck up for his friend when I was the one causing problems. Any rational person could gouge how that reaction—and yet I was mad.

I felt as though Hyuu would get in my way. Like he was some guardian to the boy who fascinated me so.

i"ALL ABOOOORRRRD!"/i

My eyes reverted up to where the captain of the small ship was standing above the rest, rushing the beginning of the line in through the wooden platforms on the docks to the belly of the ship. I had never been on public transportation like this, so it daunted me at first, watching person and pokemon alike get swallowed by such a monster—it was always, and always would be, easier to fly with Reshiram than stoop to this level.

"Hurry along!" Someone shouted from behind me as I stalled, unsure of the way Kyouhei and Hyuu vanished in the dark, their pokemon unsure in their arms but eager to learn about the new mysteries of this world. Surprisingly Kyouhei looked rather displeased by the whole thing himself.

"Sorry…" I huffed under my breath, icily and moving forward while blinking away the fear rising in my throat. It was obvious to me that if someone recognized me now I wouldn't have any way to run. They could keep me on the ship so easily and yet… I walked right into the danger like it was a fire and I was a venomoth attracted to it. My stomach twisted in disarray as the sun was blocked suddenly by the deck of the ship which was up a flight of stairs, and the fire grew bigger while Hyuu's voice sounded.

"How amazing…" He said to Kyouhei. "Did you tell your brother you were leaving today?"

"No." Came the soft reply, followed by the bellow of the ship's horn. "Did you tell Rosa?"

"Yep~"

My stomach churned as the stairs took us up to the deck where the passengers could enjoy the view. Kyouhei… had a brother?

The more I learned about him… suddenly the more I had to know.

Not wanted.

No…

I HAD to know.

…..

~Hyuu~

I had to tell him… but… more or less this whole decision was killing me from the inside out. Knowing that I was in love with someone that wanted absolutely nothing to do with love at all… it was a hard thing to bear, and with the sun setting on the ocean as we crossed over to the mainland—Castalia was just in sight, breaking over the horizon now—I couldn't be sure if I would ever have the courage to do this again. Kukui and Alec sat together against the railing, dreading the desire to leap from the balcony and into the chilly ocean where they could swim free together—Kyouhei said this was a fine idea because he too had the uncanny desire to swim (only he wouldn't be leaping off any ledges while I was around), but I insisted that it was stupid because our pokemon didn't know this ocean like Kukui knew the one back on the island where they came from.

Love was in the air as couples across the ship watched the frivolous light bounding around the sea before us, making my heart swim and eventually drowned in the emotion—Kyouhei with his mess of hair windblown and striking him gently in the face while his eyes flickered eagerly back and forth. It was one of the most stunning things I had ever seen—running for second place only with seeing Kyouhei walk up the beach for the first time with the moon behind him, and my little sister saying my name for the first time. I wanted to take a mental picture and save it. I wanted to blink and let the image lock in my brain so that nothing could ever erase it again. His eyelashes, which had never looked so long and fluttery before, his lips which were pale red from the cold breeze, his island necklace sitting against the collar bone hidden beneath the sleek material of his wetsuit. I envied the way he stood with his shoulders back and his hands firmly grasping the railing around the edge of the ship, the way his expression bore no compassion—but rather a deep thoughtful appreciation. He was happy… and it was a good look on him.

"Hyuu I wanted to ask you something." The island boy asked, blinking and then turning his milky-way brown eyes on me.

"Yeah?" I said in a small voice, anticipating some ridiculous fantasy question. Would he asked me if I loved him? Of course I did!

"I was wondering… Do you ever worry about falling in love? I mean… My parents… they were divorced and hated each other. My life was ruined because of that… A—and now my brother. He fell in love when he moved to Unova two years ago… and now he is all heartbroken and ruined too."

My heart skipped a ragged beat. Why now? Why did he have to ask the wrong question at the right time? Trying to hide my flinch I ran a hand across Alec's head, thinking before speaking.

"I do… But I don't think that all love ends badly… That's what you think right?"

Kyouhei snorted. "Of course I do. Nothing good ever comes out of those kind of emotions—they are evil. If you ask me, I think that people who fall in love are just weak. They have no self control, they GIVE themselves away to someone else and then what? When that person doesn't return the favor they get hurt."

"B—but what if they do return the favor?"

"Well eventually someone is going to die first. So there is another reason. It doesn't matter Hyuu, no matter who you fall in love with they won't always be there. Nothing lasts forever."

I wanted to tell him he was wrong. I wanted to scream it to the heavens and say that I would prove him wrong and that love could be forever. That WE could be forever. Shaking my head I put up a smile though, a real fake smile that hurt in the roots of my teeth.

"Don't you agree?" He said, looking past my obvious distress.

My heart crackled in my chest as I stroked Alec's head once again, looking away and to the city limits that were rising further beyond the horizon to the east as the sun set in the west. I licked my lips once, letting the desire to tell him I love him fade away.

"Yeah." I lied casually. "I agree…"


	19. Chapter 19

~Touya~

"Ch—cheren…" I huffed. "I—I love N. I love him. I love him."

The feel of hot lips on my neck.

"You are going to get hurt." I insisted. "I love him. I don't love you, just because im not strong enough to push you away."

Tender hands on my sides.

"I love N." tears began to swell in my eyes as I thought about how absolutely mind-blowing it was to have someone loving me again. The way it felt to have skin against skin in this half-closed embrace with my best friend.

Cheren was neat and orderly with a strong will, and he didn't stop until his dreams were succeeded. I found that this was an aspect in Cheren that I liked from the beginning, but felt immense downfall from at times. Like now, his slender thighs hugging my stronger ones, and his nails scratching the back of my head as he tugged on my hair. I writhed, but not in pain. But a mislead bliss, a desire to have him take me and put on the roller coaster called sex I had been missing out on for two years. Cheren could give it to me… but it would be extremely wrong of me to take it.

I didn't love Cheren despite him being my best friend. I never had and I never would because N was someone so deeply imbedded into my roots, my blood, my heart that I couldn't. When I closed my eyes I didn't feel the short inky black hair swiping against my collar bone—I felt a long mess of tea green waves engulfing me. I did not feel the small but tight hands on my shoulders, but rather the large and long hands of N gripping me with such power. I was… utterly disoriented.

"It doesn't have to be love." Cheren grunted. "I'll take lust…"

My will was fleeing quickly as his tongue lapped against the side of my neck, his teeth grazing a tender spot just below my ear, and his hands exploring up my shirt. I couldn't handle it. Shaking and tears streaming down my face I went limp, blush rising to my cheeks and covering my mouth as I felt the need to scream—not because the pleasure was so great or anything like it, but because I couldn't stand the thought of this person being anything more to me than my best friend.

But I didn't want to hurt him. He had just lost Touko because she had this crazy idea that she was in love with someone else—and I only say crazy because that person just so happened to be the main member of the Shadow Triad. I didn't know much about them at all, but I knew one thing was for sure, if anyone could love them it was Touko. Her strange way of looking at life was too far beyond Cheren's logic—hell the first time he saw the Triad he said they must only be holograms—so it could never work between them. Touko was a wild bird that needed to fly away, but she was also a perilous and hungry hound that needed to sniff out her prey and kill it. The Shadow Triad may be dangerous, they may be impossible to find, but I knew Touko, and I knew that she wouldn't stop until she found them—until she got what she wanted.

Cheren was determined but not so much that he would let logic slip away. And so when I- now remembering all the time the Shadow Triad brought me to N-pushed Cheren away, I felt a heavy stone lodge itself in my throat. My eyes were red, my bottom lip was sore from gnawing on it, and my head spun.

"Touya…" Cheren growled. "Come on… Bla—Blackie…"

My mouth fell open then, gaping as my best friend stabbed a burning iron into my chest and twisted it. How DARE he call me that?! Who in their right mind would ever take such a cruel shot at my ego? N was the only one that could call me Blackie. The. Only. One.

"W—what did you just say?" My throat caught, raw and harsh as if someone had branded it with a flaming iron. "What did you call me!?"

Cheren, wide eyed and swallowing saw that this was nothing, that this emotion he had, the power over me—if only for a second—was gone. Angry tears swimming in my eyes and falling like rain from my face made him see the truth.

He shuffled off of me, leaving nothing but a single hicky on my neck, and stomping away to my front door.

"You're never going to be happy if you don't let him go Touya!" Cheren, my best friend snarled as he slammed the door and left.

…

~Hyuu~

"I'm telling you that they were there! WHY WONT YOU BELIEVE ME YOU MOTHER FU—

"Rosa calm down!" I insisted over the phone as we walked the streets of Castalia, around the pier with wobbly legs and tired eyes. We had just gotten off the ship that took us to the mainland, and with Kyouhei's exhausting words ringing in my ears I didn't have the strength to argue with Rosa.

"It was Team Plasma!" She wailed. "They were the sewers Hyuu!"

"Rosa, wh—why were you down in the sewers?" I rubbed my eyes with the ball of my hand as she went on, yelling at me.

"Because I saw Plasma members down there! Why can't you believe me?!"

"It's not that I don't believe you Rosa its ju—

"Fuck you Hyuu, you never believe me anymore! I thought you were my friend? You were my best friend!"

Groaning internally I rolled my eyes, stopping and leaning against a lamp post. Kyouhei looked slightly amused by my distress and Kukui was frowning in concern. Alec though, looked as though he knew exactly what Team Plasma was, and hearing Rosa's squeak from the other line was enough encouragement to get him to want to fight. He put his paws on his sides trying to look tough—which also made me realize that within just a week or so he had grown almost twice his size. He had once been so short that he could only hold my ankle, and now the top of his head was nearing my knee. He was taller than Kukui.

"Rosa what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to believe me!"

"Ok then I believe you, now what?"

"Now stop being a douche bag and get down here so you can help me!" She cried, and I suddenly realized that it wasn't her wanting me to believe her that had her so upset, it was the fact that something was wrong. She was… crying?

"R-Rosa are you ok?" I said as her broken sob came through the phone. It was hard to hear because she was obviously still in the sewers.

"Se—Servine was knocked out… I—I don't have any more pokemon to defend myself and there are things down here Hyuu…"

I knew how hard it was for someone like Rosa to admit when she needed help, so this actually scared me. Running a hand through my hair I spoke. "Alright, just hold tight ok, im coming. Ok, How do I find the entrance?"

"The west pier…" She said. "Hyuu… th—thanks."

"Ok be careful." I shot back at her again before she hung up.

"Problem?" Kyouhei cocked his head to the side.

"Rosa needs help. We have to find her." I turned around, pushing off the light post and hurrying, letting the exhaustion and the previous conversation about love escape my mind. Whatever my feelings were they could wait.

"What do you mean we?" Kyouhei said though, not moving in the slightest. I pulled to a stop to see that Alec had also stalled, hating the idea of leaving Kukui behind.

"B—But she needs us!" I blinked in astonishment. "Her pokemon is knocked out, she can't defend herself!"

Kyouhei shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"We're all friends! We're supposed to have each others back. I watch yours, you watch mine, and the same goes for Rosa.

"She didn't even wait for you to get your pokedex Hyuu." He folded his arms across his chest. "And I'm not exactly friends with her."

"Well helping someone in need is the right thing to do and I'm going." Actual anger flared in my chest this time. I didn't get angry with Kyouhei—not ever, but this was something I couldn't handle. Kyouhei may not be from Unova, or he may not have known me very long but Rosa needed help. Where was his justice? Where was his honor to do the right thing?

"I'll go get a hotel room for the night." Kyouhei said blatantly, not calling my bluff as I really did turn to leave.

"You're so selfish!" I yelled at him as he just shook his head and went the other way.

"It's called self preservation Hyuu!" He yelled over his shoulder.

"Oshh!" Alec barked in dismay as Kukui followed her trainer obediently. My stomach twisted for my pokemon—he loved her more than she loved him. Kukui's first priority was and always would be pleasing her trainer. Fuming I whirled.

"Come on Alec! Forget about them!"

….

~Rosa~

"I just called Hyuu… It's ok… It's ok." I held Growlithe—the little shit pokemon my mother forced me to bring on my journey—close to my chest as he growled inwardly, his fur warming me despite the draft coming in through the sewage drain high above my head.

I saw some suspicious looking guys going into the sewers earlier, and of course I followed them… but never in a million years did I think that I would get stuck in the middle of it all. Grunt after grunt after grunt came after me, tugging on my shorts and shirt and trying to get me to show them what was underneath. They were perverts, and Servine had protected me up until now; now I was lost with nowhere else to go. I was at a dead end, a large cavern in this disgusting place where a crack in the brick wall shielded me from their flash lights.

The grunts were in and out, using the tunnels as some secret sort of passage way to places around the city—I was guessing. They kept bringing down pokemon as well, and doing horrible things to them when they didn't cooperate. I was sick just watching it all.

Team Plasma was back. I wasn't sure how, but obviously the great Black hadn't destroyed them completely—someone or something banded them together again.

"It's going to be ok…" I trembled, pushing my face into Growlithe's back. "I—I called Hyuu… he will come help us…"

The sound of footsteps came, unsure and uneasy so that I was positive my prayers had been answered right on time. Hyuu, for as many times as I called him a dipshit or a retard I wanted to hug him to death—he was always someone I could count on. Even when my partner Servine couldn't, he was the one.

No one had come this close to the crack in the wall, and Plasma had vanished again for a while so I knew this had to be him. Swallowing hard I took a deep breath, letting my imagination get the best of me. It had been ten minutes since I called—that was enough time for Hyuu to get through the sewers right?

"H—Hyuu?" I croaked, and Growlithe froze, nose twitching as he tried to smell past the sewage stank.

There was no response.

"Hyuu! In here!"

I waited, breathing heavily as the footsteps turned in my direction, clicking on the cement floor and then stalling. I turned, shaking and leaned over to look through the crack.

My heart sank.

"Why… hello there." A man, by obvious reasons, was staring back at me, a rough line of five o'clock shadow touching his cheeks. Through the crack barely big enough for me to squeeze through he shone a flashlight on his face, illuminating the sickly sharp features of his bones, his shapeless forehead, his thin pencil line eyebrows, and the ridiculous kink on his nose, making his whole appearance feel twisted and unruly. Though the collar of his shirt was neat and perfectly white, unlike my clothes which had been murdered by grime down here. My breath caught as his mouth turned up, a wicked smile that sent a shiver up my spine.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing here?" his skeleton face moved in a grinding fashion, something that made me believe the lack of fat or muscle was allowing his bones to crunch together. His jaw was small but taught, making him very angular.

"Y—You can't take my pokemon!" I curled up further into the brick wall as he was contemplating shouldering into the crack. Growlithe was baring his teeth, furious at the intruder.

"I don't need to… seeing as though Team Plasma is already on top of that." He chuckled darkly. "I've found her!"

His voice bounced across the walls, followed by the muted sound of a microphone beeping against his neck. He was communicating with Team Plasma from somewhere else because they were not down here at the moment. Heart racing I dug through my bag, frantic and trying to find something that could revive Servine. I had nothing though—I was defenseless with nothing but the little shit my mother made me bring. Growlithe had never launched an attack before; I didn't even think he knew how. He wasn't the ruthless Mightyena my mother used to guard our house, he was just a ball of fur that liked to yap and run away too much.

Trapped I clung to the puppy pokemon, trying to keep him sustained as he fought with me, trying to get away and snarling.

"You Lil' Shit…" I grunted. "Stop it!"

The man with the boney face grinned evilly at me through the crack in the wall. "There is a reason that we use the sewers my dear girl… it's because no one can hear you when you scream. So by all means, darling scream."

Growlithe was shaking so harshly now, fur standing on end as he fought to get out of my arms. He let out a low wail, a howl that split my ears and made a fierce echo. I released him then, uncaring as to if he would get himself caught by Team Plasma or not. He was a little shit anyways. He never did anything right.

"Growlithe!"

Heat rose in the form of smoke, blackening the only bit of light we had and making the strange man in the white duck out of the way swiftly. I closed my eyes, shielding my face from the harsh tang of soot, and cursing.

This was not happening…

"Growli—

And suddenly there was fire.


	20. Chapter 20

~Hyuu~

The sewers were… well exactly what I was expecting. Dank, rancid smelling, cold and lonely and dark. I was… not scared but more so annoyed that I had to brace these conditions myself. My gag reflex was on edge, waiting to pull me under a wave of repulsion that would surely weaken my stamina. I was already feeling wounded because of Kyouhei and his blatant uncaring. I had always known Kyouhei was stubborn but I hadn't given much thought to how selfish he was—turns out it was one aspect of him I highly disliked. But what could I say? Kyouhei was a lonely boy that had been independent for two years, he hated putting his pokemon in danger, and he was tactful in a way that unnecessary danger didn't concern him. It may not be the most noble way to live, but it was certainly strategic.

Even so I felt alone. I felt like he had abandoned me or didn't care about me enough to want to make sure I was ok in the sewers—never the less Rosa. He didn't have to care about her, I was ok with that because he had only met her once; but for Arceus sake I had iced his ass for him! It was the least that he could do in repayment…

We were supposed to have each other's backs…

"Rosa…" I said, unable to bring any real strength to my voice. It was almost too dark to see, with only the few and far between light hanging from the ceiling—which was the street above—there to guide me. Alec walked at my side, up right and looking determined with his defensive shell in his hands, ready to throw into battle. The attack razor shell was something he had learned in the battle against Roxie a few days ago, and I couldn't be more proud of him now.

My Pidove on the other hand, who had little to no training and seemed more concerned with sitting in a heap of feathers on my shoulder and shaking with fear, was not so trustworthy. He was cute, I would give him that, but he wasn't much help when he was so timid and shy. The dark scared him, the light scared him, and the sound of water dripping scared him; I didn't think there was much that didn't scare him…

But again, he had no training and I knew that when it came to pokemon experience was everything. He would warm up to things sooner or later—be it by his choice or not. He would have to if he was going to make it in this team with me.

"Rosa!" I yelled slightly louder as I turned down a corner, ignoring the sounds of things croaking after me—iThey are just tympole/i I told myself, though my heart was racing in panic. Did tympole dwell in the sewers? There had to be some kind of pokemon living in here because as I walked along I could see the faint outline of foot prints in the greasy floor. They were big too, which made me even more nervous.

My voice called back to me, soft and whispery as the echo was lonely as I felt. Heartless almost as I thought about what kind of danger I was putting myself in. Maybe Kyouhei was right after all… maybe this wasn't worth it?

No…

Rosa had been my best friend for a very long time. We had always been there for each other. Even the time she demanded I buy her tampons because she refused to go into the store and get them herself. I was mortified at the time, but I got the feeling she had her fair share of miserable embarrassment as well—one time I dared her to cliff dive into the ocean and her bikini top fell off.

So of course I had to help her now, no matter how scared I was I had to be there for her. I had to make sure she was ok.

I walked, shuffling along in the muck and noticing that in some of the outer most corners of this place there actually were Muk gathered, making disturbing farting noises as they clumped in massive orgies, spawning and swapping body parts at the same time, all the while though ignoring me and my calling for Rosa. At lease this way I could say that it could be worse. Alec and I could have to fight them all off.

"R—Rosa!" I yelled this time, nice and loud so that my voice coming back was not a whisper of an echo, but a strong, healthy wail. My voice didn't sound how it normally did though… it sounded more strained and less enthusiastic. Could she hear that?

Stupidly I pulled out my pokegear, thinking that maybe I could call her again for some odd reason, but finding that yet again I could do nothing because of signal problems—how in the world had she even called me to begin with? I didn't understand, but the ideas kept playing in my head like her setting me up for a scare—a mere prank for her amusement.

She sounded horribly upset though…

I was on the verge of great upset when I realized that my mind had strayed from something of essential to something of fiction again. My imagination tended to do that at times, but now was really upsetting. I chewed my lower lip, whirling around at the sound of a slightly louder drop that had touched the floor behind me, and then a second droplet that fell on the back of my neck. Slime, pure oil slick kind of slime that just clung to you and made your hair stick together in clumps. I shivered as a feeling of sick came over me, and was happy that Kyouhei and I hadn't gotten anything to eat when we boarded the ship to the mainland in case it caused us stomach upset.

"He—hello?" I barely breathed, my voice trembling as another sound came, maybe from above or maybe from below, but faint and short as if someone had struck a single piano key. I fidgeted, trying to gather the strength that was slowly seeping away from my chest. Luckily Alec planted himself in front of me, and Pidove stiffened up, perhaps trying to brace the situation now that it was real and happening. My partners…

The sound of quick feet running towards me, making us cower around a corner we stopped at. Heavy breathing, a slightly moan, and an odd scratching sound—nails on cement maybe? I squeezed my eyes shut.

"A—Alec…"

My pokemon touched me on the shin, signaling that he was there and that I was not alone.

The steps grew closer, faster, louder down the particular corridor we were headed. The acid stung on the back of my neck and with a strangled mew I spoke.

"Water gun."

Alec hurdled out then, leaping before the intruder and giving me the time to let my eyes reopen and focus. The sound of water gushing sounded, then a sharp sizzling, a hiss, and the great smell of smoke putting out a bed of charcoals.

"Shit!" A familiar voice came, following the harsh, squealing yelp that came from a familiar Growlithe.

"Oh no!" I gasped, now realizing what was going on. "Alec stop! Rosa!"

"Shh! Shuddap!" My long legged tennis player friend flung herself on me, covering my mouth with her skinny fingers and letting her head slump in the crook of my shoulder. Pidove fluttered off in a hurry, landing on Alec in fear and knocking the small water type over.

She was trembling and cold, with the smell of smoke clinging to her like death and her clothes resembling it. Wide eyed I held her, letting her come to with savior before realizing that this was all but over. She was safe—I was pretty sure we could find the way out now.

"R—Rosa wh—what happened?" I hugged her to me, feeling the wet of her body and the lack of fire in her embrace. We weren't the kind of friends that really hugged all that much, so it was an odd feeling—to have breasts up against my solid chest and a softer chin against my neck. She was just as tall as me, if not taller with her shoes on, and despite it all I didn't find it a bad thing.

Was I gay?

Rosa sure was a dude at heart but that's not why I was concerned. I was concerned because it felt like Rosa was comfortable with me and I had always been with her. So maybe I wasn't gay like I thought I was, maybe it was just a faze.

I choked on the thought, remembering Kyouhei's cute little ass and thinking that there was no way I would ever think that about Rosa.

"Oh my Arceus, Hyuu we have to get the hell out of here." She pushed away from me. "Come here Lil' Shit."

I watched in surprise as she picked up her sniveling sopping mess of a pokemon and cradled it in her arms. Growlithe had never been much of a cuddler—he was too wild and too eager to bounce around like a spring—so it was an odd moment in general, but the fact that Rosa was actually being kind to him made me confused. Last time I checked Rosa HATED Growlithe, hence the name "Lil' Shit."

"Rosa what happened to you?" I demanded.

"I'll tell you when we get out of here." She whispered. "Keep your voice down… please."

Fear? Fear in ROSA's voice? It sounded like a whole new language to me, and I couldn't grasp her appearance at all. The sewer… sure it was dirty but even I hadnt managed to get COVERED in the stuff like she did—unless fighting Plasma members got her that dirty I couldn't imagine what was going on here. My stomach curled when she turned and walked very close to me, shoulders bumping and leading me back the way I originally came. Pidove managed to flutter back up to me again, silent as ever and latching his little claws into the collar of my shirt so that he could hide halfway in the nest that was my hair.

"Th—this is bad Hyuu…" My best friend whispered at one point, shaking her head.

"What? What is it?" I whispered as she ushered me forward under the glow of a harsh light—only now did I realize that she looked to have taken a harsh beating. Her left cheek was swollen and purple, and there was a sharp knot above her temple. Her lip was bleeding slightly.

With a fearful snort she ignored my question. One tiny word was all she could say.

"Plasma…"


	21. Chapter 21

~Kyouhei~

"I—I guess I should go then." I mumbled to the green haired man that grabbed my face back in Virbank, who just so happened to run into me while I stood in an ice cream line, struggling with my self-right and morals because in all honesty, I felt obligated to go down into the sewers with Hyuu, but logically I kept telling myself that I should remain here where it was safe.

"B—but you're pokemon." He—apparently his name was N, hugged Kukui to his chest lovingly, coddling her and massaging her tail as she flipped around, making a noise that resembled purring. "She is so lovely…"

"T—that's nice, thanks, but I really need to go find my friend." I said, reaching out gently and taking Kukui out of his arms and holding her in my own again. She let out a small sigh, smiling slightly at ease with the apparent tension in her body.

"The one that…?" He blocked my path, towering over me at a great height that made me feel like I was looking up at one of the skyscraper hotels.

I nodded. "Yeah… Hyuu…"

"Does he freak out a lot?" N asked, coking his head to the side and letting a sweep of organic green hair fall from his shoulders messily. It was down to the middle of his back, curling at the ends and around his oval cheeks, but framing his slightly squared jaw nicely. I could see the ever so slight five o'clock shadow touching his chin as he blinked down, his emerald eyes flickering somehow nervously—like the Pidove that sat on his shoulder.

"He does, and he is going to be really freaking out if I don't find him soon…" I said honestly, wondering if it was normal for people to just have conversations like this out of the blue. I didn't know this guy, and yet I had seen him twice and he seemed to want to know more about me. The way he touched my pokemon was also rather unnerving—as if he could tell exactly what Kukui was thinking. I didn't gather that this guy was a bad person; I never thought he was from the beginning, but I had to admit he was strange, and strange could be a good or a bad ting depending on where you came from.

And coming from Mintonga Island strange was a very bad thing… so I had to listen to my head and assume that N was trouble. Anything out of the ordinary was trouble right? I assumed yes and walked past him, ignoring the shove I received from a passerby with a folded umbrella.

"Wa—wait!" a large hand gripped my shoulder rather harshly, pulling me around to face him once again. "J—just let me… examine you."

"N—No." I pulled away, knowing that this was indeed the wrong way to handle strangers. N should have be less eager to touch me, less curious about someone he had only ever seen twice before. "I need to leave now."

What killed me the most though, was the fact that I couldn't bring myself to ask him who he thought I was back in Virbank. I wanted to know why he grabbed my face so rashly like he did, but since he obviously didn't try again I let it go, as if we could both act like it never happened when in reality it was nagging at my throat.

"O—Okay…" He said in a muted tone, a sad tone that made me scowl as I left the ice cream line in order to find the entrance to the sewers.

N was a strange character, with little to no information to give me. He told me his name, which was N, and nothing more. He said he had no middle or last name, he said he had no explanation as to where he came from or what he was doing, and he wasn't willing to compromise with telling me why he happened to find me in this huge city again.

Not that I really cared… I mean his business was his business, but at the same time I wanted to know what his fascination with me seemed to be. The way he made eye contact no matter which way I turned my head, or the way he insisted on listening to Kukui when she made even the slightest sound—even when it was just a grunt of approval at his massage. He was somehow very interested in everything I did, even now as I fought through the crowd looking over my shoulder to make sure he wasn't following me, he was still keeping a careful eye on where I was going. It was like he was afraid of something… maybe even afraid of me?

I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer to all the questions he put in my head, but I knew that regardless of, now was not the time to worry about it. I had to deal with my own problems about Hyuu being in the sewers to rescue Rosa and me not bothering to go with him because I was that much of an asshole.

My brother would be so disappointed in me…

Which was part of the reason why I had to find him now. I couldn't live with this bad decision looming over my head no matter how independent I wanted to be. It was a shameful thing to admit but I needed Hyuu. He was my map, my way around, my—dare I say—companion in this whole big mess of a journey we were supposed to be taking. I owed it to him to at the very least to watch his back when he was going into a potentially dangerous situation.

So wound up rushing around this huge yet cramped city looking for the dock that Hyuu headed for before I left like the jerk I was. I searched hard, ignoring complaints from people in my way and how they seemed to want to know where I was going in a rush. Everyone was so rude here, too cramped to even think about being social with one another—they were forced to be.

There was no peace of mind in this cramped and too bright city as I fought along, finally admitting defeat before asking someone on a dock where the sewer entrance was. He was a stranger, but of course being local meant he knew where to go, so he pointed me in the right direction and mentioned something about a tip—which I DID NOT give him—before I stumbled into the dirty Arceus forsaken place that was the Castalia Sewers.

Eeew.

Water dripping, grimer spawning, grease lubricating the floor and making it hard to focus on where I was going; the whole place was a death trap to say the least, but at the same time I kept thinking it was worth it to find Hyuu and salvage what little friendship he may still have towards me—without him I would be subject to going home to Aspertia to live with my brother. Which wasn't exactly a bad thing… just a less productive thing. I would have too much time on my hands to think about Mintonga and how much I missed it—at least traveling like this didn't give me the time of day.

"Squr…" Kukui sniffed, fidgeting in my arms and eventually plugging her nostrils to the rancid smell coming from this underworld. In the first tem minutes of my travel time, fighting in the dark between lamps hanging from the ceilings, I found that things had gotten exceptionally worse. It was putrid, and the further I went in the harder it seemed to be to control myself from puking up a storm. It was bad enough that this place reminded me of Roxie's gym, all covered in poison. Part of me even made out the dead body of a patrat floating in the nearby water. My stomach curled in distaste.

"It's pretty bad…" I mumbled to Kukui. "But if you don't focus on it… you can block it out."

She shook her head in disagreement.

"We just need to find Hyuu… a—and he couldn't have gotten that far…" My voice was reduced to a whisper to avoid a dreaded echo that tried to bark back to me—almost daunting in its calls. My shadow stretched along the cement wall beside me, making me nervous and jumpy as it seemed to sprout from nowhere when the light hit it.

"Squ—

I stopped, insulted by a noise approaching behind us, a shallow gurgling that seemed to come from the nearby water sluggishly moving by. Shaking now we hit the wall, backing up under the light of a post and holding our breath. Kukui covered her mouth for a moment, as if the idea of anything swimming in such foul water made her nauseous.

"S—shit." I coughed, unable to move as a slow wake rose through the thick slime, sending a wave more of paralyzing odor up my nose. I trembled, holding Kukui closer to me and trying to gather my wits to run—logic. iLOGIC KYOUHEI LOGIC/i I screamed at myself as the contaminated water rose, slipping off a rather huge and shiny surface.

I gasped, unable to contrast the feeling of fear from the feeling of strength in my limbs, and sinking to the cold sopping ground in desperation. A short squeak escaped my throat as the mighty creature turned, blinking back one eye lid and then another to reveal the shiny amber surface of its pupils. My heart fell in my chest, reminding me yet again that I was only sixteen, having never seen anything more threatening than a Nidorino protecting its mate on the Island I grew up on on. My challenge here may not even be the monster pokemon before me, but the fear intensifying in my every blood cell.

It was huge, fifteen feet at least, with scales that threw harsh purple shimmers under the dim lights. A shadow that seemed to grow from the layer of muck below the water—everything settled at the bottom of the sewer. It stunk of high heavens, shaking off the excess drops and turning in my direction. The widest part of its slender and sleek body opened. A heart shape that mimicked the shape of its flat head and rounded nostrils.

Sinking and rising again in the water the pokemon opened its mouth, pushing out a forked tongue and releasing a low hiss, a ominous hiss that couldn't come from anywhere but hell itself. The piercing fire colored eyes cutting the sewer in half, dividing it into two very unequal parts.

There was its portion of the sewer, which consisted of the majority of it. And then there was my half—a measly little island up against a wall in which I felt compelled to cling to. Desperate I grit my teeth, holding Kukui so tight she actually grunted in pain.

The monster pokemon slithered forward, its pure muscle body grinding against the cement floors and adding another two or three feet to its length. Its sickening hiss ravished my fear, making my bones tremble. I suddenly felt so small; so utterly small as that sewer snake crept forward, forked tongue stroking the air as it smelt me and my obvious salt water fumes.

Kukui turned then, jolting out of the shell she had begun to hide herself in, and ripping away from my arms.

"Kukui!"

The snake lunged, its powerful head ramming the floor as my Squirtle—my best friend, my dear pokemon partner, slid beneath its body and distracted it from my attention. Slick spurted up under her as she skid, unable to keep balance with her webbed feet and short limbs, and reverted back into the sewer water. She landed with a solid splash, sinking below the green where I couldn't see her.

"NO!" I screamed, making the walls leap and bound with mercy as they shot back at me, taunting me with my own mocking voice. A sick and twisted fate leapt into my chest as the snake pokemon reverted back to its home, a high speed chase against my water type. Kukui…

Eyes filling with tears of hate I pushed myself up, damning Hyuu to hell for bringing me into this fucking place. Who gives a flying fuck about Rosa anyways?!

Choking with horror I watched the snake strike, strike again, and go under, its teeth barred and frothing with poison as it loomed about, jerking in the sewage as it tried to catch my beloved partner. My heart had never beat so fast before, watching helplessly as she failed to get away, kicking out here and eventually taking a harsh hit that spun her out of the water and back onto the land.

At this point I was doing to only thing I could think of—using my brothers pokedex to try and grasp any minor detail about his thing that could help me. Pressing button after button, shuffling through files and quaking to find the giant purple snake that attacked Kukui, all the while trying to keep an eye on her, trying to restrain as long as possible as she dodged her and dodged there, wearing quickly.

Fuck

Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK

What would my brother do at a time like this?! What would he tell me? What would he say?

Probably something stupid like "everything happens for a reason."

Tears streaming down my face I dropped the pokedex and covered my ears, unable to bear the scream that my pokemon let out, and then the way she curled into her shell, defending herself with protect and ultimately being picked up as if she were a snack.

I was prepared to watch my pokemon be swallowed whole—she was only as big as the things mouth.

Lightning flashed, flickered, jumped in a terribly bright fashion before me, blinding me and my tears and making it impossible to see what was going on.

Was that an attack? Was that something that Kukui was doing? The sound of a angry wail touched me, followed by a crack—sickening to my ears because all I imagined was the dagger fangs piercing through the shell of my pokemon.

She fell—a shell from the mouth of a demon who was so violent and ruthless it made my whole head pound. Between the blasting white light and the screaming I could only find that one solid form falling from the snake.

What would Touya do?

"KUKUI!" I howled as her limbs shot out again, stronger, fiercer, somehow more hopeful than her first attempt at a battle. Eyes poking with white specs I blinked, rapidly to see that somehow amazingly enough something had changed.

Kukui, though much smaller and much less vicious than this creature, had pulled herself from the back of its throat and came out stronger. Her legs looked longer, her shell harder, and to my astonishment, I could see that her tail had become nearly twice its original size. It swept upwards in a luxurious length matching the fur lined… ears that sat rigid on her head.

My heart jolted as she went forward, this time right into the face of the beast and met it step for step, launching attack after attack and spraying clean water to and fro. I watched in disarray, unable to comprehend her.

Why did she do it? What compelled her to fight this way? Was it because of me? Was it… for me?

Frozen in fear, confusion, revolt, and memorization I found that this was far more than just a battle. This was going beyond that now. This was ultimatum and sudden success and to my bewilderment, ice.

A solid, hard core ice attack that is.

Kukui froze the ground before her, using the slick and the slime to her advantage and the ice to smooth the surface while her speed was not usually her forte. She swayed above a shimming river of crystal as her powers touched the sewage, leaving a small spotty trail of blood behind her for the snake to follow. She knew what she was doing…

She was being tactful and brave and honorable while I cowered like a fool in the corner.

I didn't deserve a pokemon like her…

Furious with myself I punched at the ground, tears of hate now covering the fear and making it hard to breathe. Ice spattered, chips against my face and cutting me—but I didn't care. Nothing suddenly mattered except for the fact that I was a complete and utter failure.

What would Touya do? I asked myself again, this time coming to some ridiculous conclusion.

"Ice beam!" I shouted, perking up the newfound ears of Kukui and slowing her to a halt. She slipped, dodged another attack from the purple snake, and spun back in time to launch an attack. A pure, frost covered attack that stuck to the slimy surface of the scaly creature and made it cringe.

Holding my breath I waited, watching it writhe about and slip on the paths that Kukui created.

Instinct made me fast at this point, not thinking but only acting as I saw a flaw in its legless and armless design. Such a vicious pokemon—Hageshi in a way. Violent, evil, a demon, a scourge on the rest of the other pokemon I had come to see in my short lifetime.

Its amber eyes blinked out behind its double eyelids as the ice consumed it, ate at its scales, and eventually plastered it to the floor, crackling and chipping away only for a moment until the beast subsided, giving in to its defeat.

Impulse made me stronger. Hating this creature with all my might I stood, wobbling and nearly crushing my brothers pokedex under my foot as I unhitched a ball from my belt and threw it in the same fashion that Touya used to throw a baseball when we were kids.

It struck the seventeen-some long pokemon covered in ice and brought it down to size. Compressing it through a red light and then disappearing. The ball choked on its welcome, rolled and hiccupped until Kukui, who was breathing extremely heavily, planted a single webbed foot on it. She snorted, shook her head and embraced the obvious victory until the ball lay still, completely lifeless beneath her.

"K—Kukui…" I swallowed, stepping forward and avoiding the patches of ice she left behind. "A—are you ok?"

I knelt on one knee, examining in low light the immense change in appearance. She was my height when I crouched, which was about up to my thigh when I stood.

"Y—You…" I wiped away my tears, reaching out and taking her between my hands. "You evolved…"

She clung to me closely, hugging and sniffing as if she couldn't believe that the whole thing was over.

iWartortle: the second evolution turtle pokemon/i My brothers sluggish and old pokedex spoke up from its spot on the cement ground behind me, suddenly acknowledging the new pokemon in the area.

I breathed, a shaky and painful sob cracking in my chest as the small device chirped about is stats and changes in appearance.

"Wa—warr.." Kukui stuttered, surprised by her voice and the stubby fangs protruding from her mouth.

"K—Kukui." I hugged her tighter.

"T—thank you."


	22. Chapter 22

~Hyuu~

" C—come on Rosa." I nudged my childhood friend up the stairway to the main street where the moonlight was now touching the docks and the city was alight with brilliant neon. I had only just found Kyouhei on the way out, which was a fluke since I didn't think he was in the sewers at all. And more so than that, he was on his way out as well, having narrowly avoided a battle he was sure to lose, with the amazing chance that his pokemon just so happened to evolve to save him.

Kukui, the relatively small squirtle with freckles, was now a twice as big Wartortle with the same freckles lining her darker blue face. She had small fangs protruding from her upper teeth, nubby but surely powerful enough to cause some damage. Her shell was sleek and polished looking, despite the single large divot behind her shoulder where one of the serpent pokemon's teeth had managed to crack it. The evolution luckily mended the damage but left a nasty scar that would follow Kukui to adult hood no doubt. However she wore the scar well, accenting the pretty little painted flower on her chest with something more intimidating. She no longer looked like a pet, she looked like a partner—someone willing to fight to the death for their other.

Alec, though I scolded him immensely, couldn't keep his eyes off of the she-turtle. He was flitting about in dismay, wondering why she was suddenly bigger than he was, and of course feeling daunted by this. It was as if he couldn't bring himself to accept the change, and that scared me because he would have to accept change when he evolved as well. I hoped that it would be sooner than later too.

Lil' Shit was squabbling about, limping slightly from the numerous grunts he had to fight off until I came to find Rosa. His ear was torn and bloody, and his fur was sticking out all over the place, and his hind leg wasn't able to carry much weight. The poor thing had taken a serious beating, but not nearly as bad as its owner had. Rosa was starting to black out from dehydration and pain in her head. She said she had a killer headache that made her want to vomit, and she was burning up with fever from what I could feel. Her body was boiling and she was shivering, which meant she was cold as I ushered her about. We only had to get to the pokemon center before she could get some treatment—even if it wasn't a human hospital it still had the basics. Growlithe, Servine, Kukui could get back on their feet and I could figure out what happened exactly. Rosa wasn't talking but I knew that someone had physically beaten her. Her eye was swollen and her cheek bone bruised a nasty purple around the cut someone's knuckles had created. She had blood matted in her hair as well, and finger marks on her neck from where someone had tried t choke her.

In the midst of it all she had been burned too… by her pokemon who was trying to protect her but wasn't skilled enough to control its fire range. Her legs looked to be the most burned, visible only through the harsh tears in her tights

"Oh my Arceus"

"S—sir is she ok?"

"What happened?!"

The sounds of bystanders questioning us stared in unison at the mangled sight of my friend. Surely they didn't think that I was the one who did this to her? Scowling I went along ignoring the way they barked and yapped gossip because they had nothing better to do.

"H—hyuu." Kyouhei coughed from my other side, running a hand through his hair. "I—I'm sorry I didn't go with you in the first place."

My heart squirmed with a sort of intoxication towards to island boy. He cared. That's all I had wanted to know before, and now I knew. He cared and I meant enough to him to go risk his life down in the sewer.

"It's ok." I flashed him a delighted smile that probably looked all wrong on my face as I helped Rosa along slowly. This was not the scene to see someone smiling in, and yet I felt as though it would all be ok somehow. Even though I had taken practically no damage in that whole eventful situation and had no right to say anything…

Kyouhei merely sighed, a heavier breath as Kukui followed along after him, eyeing Alec carefully as if he would say something to her.

"Do you know where the pokemon center is?" He asked as we turned the corner away from the docks and onto the busy main street.

"I noticed it on the way." I said. "It's just up the street a bit."

Rosa let out a small moan at the sight of the walk there. Its red roof was only just visible from the docks, and in her condition there wasn't much else she could do. I knew she was too stubborn so complain about it either, but the look in her eyes truly begged for help.

I slowed, pulled the small group to a halt and let Rosa shift to stand evenly on both feet—which was very hard for her. She gave me a strange look, one of duration as I rolled my eyes at her and dropped, gently sweeping her into my arms as she squirmed.

"It will be faster." I said, not daring to glance at Kyouhei who would be so judgmental of me. I was not in love with Rosa, I was in love with him, but at the same time I knew he wouldn't appreciate my affection to her. He didn't appreciate affection towards anyone. He didn't like the way loved looked on anyone—as if it were a bad style like the early ninety's. And what upset me about that was that I knew his scowl wouldn't be one of jealousy—Arceus I would love that—but one of repulsion.

Shaking my head clear of this friction I pushed on, leading Kyouhei and the band of pokemon once again. Rosa at this point left herself for exhaustion, letting her head fall against my chest and closing her mutual brown eyes—darker and harder than Kyouhei's milky ones. My stomach did an odd twisting thing though, all the people around and it felt like someone was seriously watching me.

Rosa grunted inwardly again.

"Hold on Rosa." I mumbled, glancing around. "Just a few more minutes."

…..

"So how did it happen?" I wondered, watching Kyouhei slump over on the waiting room couch, holding Huko in his lap—who was so confused on what was going on since he hadn't been let out of his ball in a day or so. It was kind of interesting to see how babyish the little Tepig still looked in comparison to Alec and Kukui, who had grown so much in such a short amount of time.

"What do you mean?" Kyouhei let his head fall against the back of the couch.

"The battle. Did you order Kukui to fight?" I mused, thinking that under my circumstances I would have jumped on the possibility to catch such a creature. "What did it look like?"

Kyouhei looked confused at this question. "I would never order her to fight something so dangerous." His eyes came down. "She just did it on her own… a—and it was huge. Probably ten feet tall at least. And it's purple I think, with amber eyes a—and ill just show you."

I waited patiently as he shuffled through his pocket to get his brother's pokedex, noticing how his hands shook slightly. Huko seemed to notice this as well, screwing up his eyes at the light from the screen and making soft snuffling noises.

"Here." Kyouhei flinched at the screen. "That's the one."

I took it willingly, looking at the picture of the brilliant purple beast that lay coiled up in a heap on the small screen. It DID have amber eyes, bright nearly fluorescent red-orange eyes. And it had a menacing design on its heart shaped body—the wings so to say. In range of size I could see that ten feet tall was the average, and under stats it claimed a poison type.

"Arbok…" I mused, feeling the accent in the foreign pokemon's name on my tongue. It wasn't from Unova, that was obvious.

"Hageshi." Kyouhei snorted.

"Hmm?"

"I'm calling it Hageshi, which means demon, or vicious, or violent—I can't remember exactly."

The corners of my mouth turned up slightly. "Are you pouting?"

"No. I'm not."

Grinning I leaned back, handing him his pokedex and taking a softer breath. It was very obvious that he was pouting about his pokemon he captured. This violent, vicious "demon" that had given his pokemon the chance to evolve. He should be happy that things worked out the way they did. He could have suffered more like Rosa did.

She was in a private room now, after being shipping from the pokecenter to the actually hospital by ambulance not long after we arrived. I didn't know her condition but after someone gave her some water she seemed to be able to talk better. She told Kyouhei and I to go get a hotel room and forget about her. She was going to be fine (which I didn't doubt).

Rosa was a tough cookie, and I envied that side of her. She may be prickly as a cactus at times, or sarcastic and temperamental… or downright rude… but she was also kind and loving and eager to achieve her dreams. She had morals and good values despite not being religious, and not a day could go by without me wanting her as an ally.

"Do you think we can go and the pokemon will be alright?" Kyouhei wondered with a yawn. "No one said we had to stay here all night… Rosa said we should get a room."

I cocked my eyebrow at him, a teasing tone sparkling in my voice. "You wanna get a room with me?"

He glared a hideously beautiful glare at me. "Shut the fuck up Hyuu, you know what I meant."

"Oh really~"

Gritting his teeth he pushed up off the couch, grapping Huko and tucking him under his arm. "I'll go get a room myself. Pervert."

Blowing out a heavy breath I got up and followed him. "Stop being such a Krabby. I was only joking…" Sort of… Guilty as charged though. My mind was playing tricks on me as Kyouhei headed towards the front counter, his eyes rather empty without his best friend Kukui nearby.

"Come on Alec." I poked the small heap of fur sleeping on the couch nest to me. "Let's go."

…

~Kyouhei~

Well Rosa ended up fine and dandy once she got some medicine into her system and took a shower, which kind of pissed me off because she was admitted from the hospital just when I wanted to get a hotel room and sleep for the night. Just finally lie down and sleep…. That's all I wanted. But no. We had to go pick up Rosa and walk rather slowly back to hotel after having walked halfway to it from the pokemon center and then back again. I wasn't exactly thrilled with this to begin with, but it made it worse that the hotel we wanted to stay at was far too crowded. One room would be expensive and we all had to share… two beds.

Fuming I lay in my boxers, uncaring of Rosa being in the queen size bed across from me saw, or was attracted to, or fucking wanted to vomit at the sight of me. I didn't care what she thought in that sense, she was just another human being after all. Female or not she shouldn't be so ignorant as to mind the lack of clothes—why should I change to way I sleep for her?

And what was worse was that Hyuu griped about sleeping on the floor so much that I ended up whacking him in the head with a pillow and telling him to just fucking sleep on the other side from me.

I was just having a bad day… or maybe I was tired… or maybe I just didn't want to think about how horrible that monster was—the Hageshi that I caught. I should have just left it there. I shouldn't have caught it… what was I thinking?

I wasn't thinking. That was the problem. At the end of that match I had only been reacting. I hadn't though about the consequences of such a pokemon living inside my pokeball. For Arceus sake I was so scared I actually left my bag with the pokeball in the bathroom with the door shut.

Luckily though, exhaustion had dragged me to sleep not long after I got Hyuu to shut up and I stopped worrying about Rosa, and I was able to wallow in the idea of a peaceful slumber—HA

That's what I thought.

Looming eyes of fire chased me through the night, hissing and spitting and shooting poison about through the pores of its body. It was a demon, the true Hageshi of my subconscious mind. With huge fangs and powerful muscles rippling beneath the surface of its scales…

I was being chased and I couldn't get away. No matter where I turned it rose under the depths of slimy water and the path I ran on got smaller and harder to function on. It was slippery, which made me slower, it was skinny, which made me feel like I was going to fall off the other side, and it was starting to move jaggedly about like a treadmill, meaning that as soon as I thought I was going the right direction or getting away, it would jerk back and my feet would end up running in place as if I was in an old cornball cartoon.

It was hot and dank under the sewers too. Sweat dripped in my eyes, things appeared to be melting right before me, turning into the horrid water that the snake pokemon—Arbok—inhabited. It thrived in those boiling cesspools before me, bubbling like the depths of hell and further where the Devil himself lived.

There was more than one Arbok too. Popping up out of nowhere and making my ears ring with the taunting noise of air through its teeth. The way its forked tongue licked about like it was tasting my scent and enjoying it. It wanted me like sushi, raw and salty because I came from the ocean—and lets face it, who didn't enjoy sushi?

The bottom line here was that I was the prey of such a creature.

My dreams lead me to believe that.

They also lead me to waking up in a jolt, flailing about to get the covers off of me—I never slept with covers on because it made me feel claustrophobic—and panting as if I had just run a marathon. My heart was in a wreck, thumping with this horrific feeling in the pit of my stomach as my mind caught up with my actions. My face was curled into the only solid form before me—a wall I thought to believe I leaned against just before I woke up—and it was warm, sleek and squared evenly. My fingers jumped about in confusion, touching the fleshy feeling before me and wondering just what happened.

I knew that I was dreaming but I completely forgot where I was, and thus I wound up grabbing a fistful of what I came to realize was Hyuu's inner thigh. And my initial thought was "why the fuck is he in bed with me?!" and then I realized that his nagging persistence had given him this place only a few hours prior. I swallowed harshly, pulling my hand back from the awkward placement and shaking it free of any germs that I thought may have gathered—when in reality Hyuu was horribly clean due to his bad habit of long showering.

Face flooding with heat I rolled, maybe a little too harshly and squeezed my eyes shut, knowing that Hyuu had stirred and was now blinking his eyes open—though he faced away from me. I settled, one hand under my chin and another limp against the sheets where it could remain still and lifeless as if I were really asleep.

"Kyou? I heard the tiniest whisper come from my annoying and lively friend.

I said nothing in return, trying to push away the nightmare and the fact that I just grabbed him inappropriately in exchange for some smooth breaths that may look convincing enough to be me sleeping.

"You said not to cross onto your side." Hyuu whispered to himself, and I could imagine the way his eyes rolled despite me not looking at him. My face must have been cherry ass red—maybe even red enough to hide my freckles.

"But you came to me…" his faint, half whisper was followed by his shuffling under the covers tighter.

Why didn't he push me away?

I almost moved myself, thinking that if I was a good enough actor I could mimic the way someone sleeping rolled over again—Hyuu would only think I was an active sleeper that way. But I decided not to risk it; if he knew I was awake he would think I was grabbing him on purpose. I waited, wide eyed and biting my lower lip as he let me remain beside him, too nice of a person to "wake me" with pushing me to the other side.

Moments passed by awkwardly, ticking like the sound of the clock and Rosa snoring softly from the bed next to ours. All was still; no pokemon were awake or chasing me, no one was talking, no one sounded like they were uncomfortable or in pain. I stifled a heavy sigh at last, letting my muscles unclench and trying to forget that Hyuu was right there next to me, his elbows touching my back.

"Mmmnn…" He whispered, making me freeze again because somehow I realized that he knew. He wasn't talking to himself this time when he spoke.

"Goodnight Kyouhei…"


	23. Chapter 23

~Kyouhei~

Steam flitted lovingly off the smooth expanse of my skin, smothering the open pours on my body and making me feel utterly loose and surprisingly at ease. The tension from within the hasty hours of the night had passed upon waking and boiling myself beneath the water, trying to remember how a summer rain felt back on Mintonga where the ocean was close enough to warm you no matter how dry you were. Sighing I looked in the fogged mirror, blinking and appreciating the toned figure that had stayed put despite the obvious lack of activity. Surfing was my main source of exercise, but I had never been anything but slender despite that. It was nice to know that wasn't changing here on the mainland. I flexed inwardly, grunting softly at the muscle under my layer of tanned skin—this was another factor I was pleased about.

My skin, tight, focused, warm and tinted with the dotting of freckles, had not changed since I got here. No lack of summer sun had taken those beloved freckles of mine away and at this point in time it was all that mattered. I held my hips in my hands, poking the definite bones there and turning in the mirror, see how flat and hard my stomach was—how deceivingly perfect. I almost laughed, but ended up shaking my head instead, then turning with a huff to grab my clothes on the floor.

I abandoned my wetsuit for the day in hopes that we wouldn't be traveling much because the thing really needed to be washed—which was a strange though to begin with. A wetsuit that needed to be washed? Well mine needed it, it was sweaty and covered in dirt and not nearly as clean as the single pair of cut off ripped knee-high jeans I brought with me… and hadn't worn even once.

The jean material clung to my waist only just, falling a bit low under my belly button because I must have lost some weight on this journey—how I didn't know; I ate like a hog. Speaking of which… getting ice cream yesterday didn't work out, and the heat of the early summer morning was already drowning me. I loved it of course, but it wasn't the usual humid, dank heat I was used to—it was a desert heat where the air parched your throat.

"Hyuu!" I yelled, trying to dislodge the vague memory of touching him in my moment of weakness last night—it was just a bad dream side affect, but it was still nagging at me. The only thing I could think of to do was to ignore it and act like it never happened, even if Hyuu did know I had been awake and NOT moved away from him.

"Yeah?" Came the immediate reply from beyond the bathroom door.

"I want ice cream." I muttered, knowing that it was a stupid and pointless thing to tell him—what would he care anyways? I trailed off so that he didn't know what I was talking about.

"What?"

Pulling my shirt halfway on I opened the door to the main part of the hotel room and stepped out. "I want ice cream." I repeated somewhat stubbornly.

Hyuu scrunched up his nose in agreement, a smile playing on his lips. "So you feel better today?"

I nodded. "I do… and I was also thinking earlier that… I want to see if I can train the pokemon I caught. The Arbok—Hageshi."

Maybe taking that pokemon out of its ball was the most stupid and horrible idea on the planet, but it didn't mean I didn't want to. Surely I couldn't release the thing back into the sewers, it could harm someone else very easily. Plus… I had caught it. It was my pokemon now and I felt a right to train it just because of that, even if I was scared of it.

"Great!" Hyuu chirped, sprawling across the bed and reaching to the floor to grab his shoes. They had been broken in rather fast for how far we had gone, and it was funny to think that when we first started this journey Hyuu was complaining about them and the calices he got on his feet.

"Let's start right away."

…

~Hyuu~

The next few days went by absolutely smoothly. Kyouhei had been bound and determined to civilize the Arbok he caught—the one he called Hageshi—and in the end it happened rather easily. Only once did the violent pokemon try and take his head off, in which Kukui in her larger form shot a warning ball of ice towards it, blasting it down a notch on the respect totem pole that was becoming Kyouhei's team. Kukui was the boss, she was beginning to show that fearlessly, and Kyouhei loved it. Huko was second in command, and after countless hours of training for two days straight the pokemon proved himself in evolution much like Kukui did in the sewers.

Huko evolved from a pudgy little Tepig, into a strong bull of a pokemon that was capable of much stronger attacks. It was smarter, more intimidating, and a hell of a lot more impressive. The Pignite was rather large for its breed too, while the standard was about three feet tall, this one was a sturdy four feet with long tusks protruding up upon its short snout. It was unattractive, but it was mighty. Kyouhei also loved this about his pokemon.

Hageshi warmed up to the idea of being a part of this team after a while and in the end became a faithful partner that… surprisingly was very gentle. Kyouhei, though originally nervous around the thing, warmed up to its powerful wrapping around his body. What was thought to be an attack ended up a sign of affection and it amused me. Hageshi was now part of the small but steadily growing team of Kyouhei's, which I had to admit, made me a little jealous.

Alec was suffering for two days straight, wondering why he couldn't evolve like the other pokemon were when he so clearly was just as strong if not stronger. He had a hell of an attitude in battle, and was wholesome and delighted outside. He was in love with Kukui, as I was with her trainer, but he didn't seem to be making progress. Much like myself, training and working my ass off at the gym the last two days I didn't feel like I was going anywhere. This was going back to the topic of my determination—Kyouhei seemed to take that from me.

Being in love wasn't easy. In fact it was a full time job that seemed to render you from being anything but yourself. Depression had set in upon seeing Kyouhei's happiness over the last two days.

I couldn't explain why though… It wasn't as if I was jealous of his happiness. I WANTED him to be happy, more than anything, even if it meant that I was the most unhappy person on the planet. I wanted Kyouhei to find himself and be happy without me, but I wanted to be happy with him even more.

My mind kept reverting back to a few nights ago when he was touching me, whether by accident or out of fear or whatever it was, and the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to hurt me. The more I wished that we were together—that I could hold him.

All in all Alec and I gave up eventually, trying not to evolve ourselves because it just wasn't going to happen… not yet at least. We would have to wait it out and get over this part of our lives steadily, no matter how much it hurt.

Rosa was well into Nimbasa now, taking a day off for herself in the amusement park, which she so excitedly told me held the electric gym leader, Elesa. Apparently the electric trainer was one hell of a fighter, and she wanted to give me fair warning that a flying type and a water type wouldn't get the job done—not to mention my Pidove was still very weak in comparison to Alec. This downhearted me, but also motivated me to prepare myself even more. By this point Kyouhei thought I was overworking myself and my pokemon—which was both the nicest and meanest thing he had said to me in a while.

My little sister, Lizzie, was doing very well with Kyouhei's older brother, Touya, apparently warming up to the idea that I was gone and not coming home any time soon. Despite me also being happy for her and her happiness, I felt utterly abandoned. Like I cared so much and she nor Kyouhei could return the favor of love in any way shape or form. Not that I expected my little sister to truly understand this… I just wanted to know that I was missed—that I was needed.

We chose to battle the gym here in Castalia after the few days of tedious training. Kyouhei went first and won easily with his newly evolved fire type, where I struggled heavily with the bug/grass combination pokemon Burge sent out against me. Alec didn't get defeated, but I wound up calling him back all very quickly in return for the weaker Pidove. This was a huge chance I took, but it worked in the end.

Badges now in hand Kyouhei and I decided to go straight through the desert tonight, opposed to staying in an expensive hotel again. Even though he won a great deal from battling we weren't quite ready to spend it all—Nimbasa had more exciting things to spend it on anyways. Plus we had sleeping bags and blankets. Plus it was very warm now, even at night. PLUS… I didn't mind the idea of Kyouhei and I being together alone in the middle of the desert.

Sitting at the small table of an ice cream parlor—a three day overdue task—I eyed Kyouhei, trying not to let him catch me staring as he let Kukui taste his strawberry cone. He was smiling, more so today than I had seen in quite a long time. I had to wonder if ice cream was the key to his heart because of this.

_Probably not though_ I thought while pushing a small spoonful of mint chip into my mouth.

"I should probably call my brother." Kyouhei mumbled more to himself after a moment. "Before we go out into the desert. He would like to know what has been happening… and I've been putting off telling him about… you know…"

"Team Plasma?" I whispered, inclining towards him so that passerby people wouldn't hear and get the wrong idea.

He nodded. "It's not that I don't want him to know—I mean… he's the savior of Unova… But I don't want him to feel bad… there isn't much he could do to stop it. You know… the only fit pokemon he has is Serperior… the rest are too crippled to fight battles anymore."

I licked my sticky lips in response, thinking that of all people the Great Black should know what was happening, and that Kyouhei couldn't put faith of battle into healthy pokemon alone. Sometimes it took more than just strength to provide battle. Touya was a powerhouse regardless of his pokemon's conditions—he could always raise more.

"Maybe I will do it later…" Kyouhei suggested. "Once we get to Nimbasa I could call him and say that we are that much farther."

I shrugged, not wanting to argue with him and say that I called my family every other day at least— that I thought he should do the same so they wouldn't worry about him.

"H—Hey Hyuu… Are you ok?" Kyouhei murmured. "You're not usually so quite."

"Huh? OH yeah, I'm fine!" I grinned at the freckled boy as his brow narrowed at me.

"You know I really hate it when people do that. You and my brother both. When you are upset you just cover it up and act like nothing's wrong—you guys smile and it's fake. Why don't you just say what's wrong?"

_I… I can't tell you what's wrong…_ I thought, my stomach hurdling into a knot of grief.

"Well… you know I just want my pokemon to evolve…" That wasn't exactly a lie—I did want them to evolve very much, especially Alec, but I couldn't quite ration that with the idea of Kyouhei. I loved him… and it was killing me.

Kyouhei dipped his head then, either in understanding or in the fact that he could still see I was lying—I couldn't tell the difference but I knew I envied his ability to show emotion as if it were nothing. My heart skipped a beat as his milky brown eyes turned up at me.

"Well then, we can't stop now right?" He pushed up out of the chair and stuffed the remainder of his ice cream cone in his mouth. "You can't stop trying—you have to work for what you want."

I felt as if I caught the rebound to a punch to the gut, breathless by these words. Did he even know what he was saying? And more importantly…

Was I working hard enough to get what I wanted-Kyouhei?

Should I turn up the heat?


	24. Chapter 24

~Kyouhei~

"My calves feel like they are going to explode." Hyuu huffed, kicking up another bunch of sand that was weighing us down as we walked.

Leaving during midday was a stupid idea, and despite not wanting to waste money for another night in Castalia, we wound up trekking through a wild area where Kukui was too dried up to remain outside in the sun. I put her away in her ball for the first time in a long time, and felt utterly lonely because of it. Not being able to run my fingers in her new, long fluffy fur covered ears was irritating because I kept reaching down expecting it—and it wasn't there.

Alec had seemed dilapidated and unwilling so he was put away a while ago, and though Hyuu had his ditsy little Pidove out for a while, it didn't seem like he was going to last with the wind throwing sand into his feathers and threatening to knock him off Hyuu's shoulder. All the pokemon wound up put away in the end, though we kept their balls close so that we could defend ourselves in the midst of danger.

Lucky for us it was a silent, blissful desert night though. The sand blew but not so harshly that it got in our eyes or harmed us. The moon was almost full in the black sky, dotted by tiny freckles of stars. It was plenty bright to keep moving on with conditions like this, and since the obvious trail had been shaped from the many trainer's feet, I knew we wouldn't get lost.

I shot Hyuu a mock concerned look. "Aww~ poor baby."

"Hey. I didn't grow up in sand, I'm used to paved streets thank you very much."

"You're just a wimp." I smirked. "You have been complaining since the moment we left."  
Scowling now my friend folded his arms across his chest, turning his nose up and walking a little straighter. Sure enough though I could see that he was in pain—straining against the weight of the sand.

"There is a reason I took my shoes off." I told him. "Not just because I want to feel sand again either, it's because my shoes get heavy. So why don't you take yours off."

"No way." He scoffed. "Then I will have to carry them. I don't have as much room in my bag as you do."

"Then stop complaining!"

"I'm not!"

"Then what are you doing?"

"Walking!"

I shoved him lightly into a thicker patch of sand off the compact trail, where his sore calves crumpled and he toppled over, completely unprepared for my mild attack.

"Kyouhei!" Hyuu gasped as I struggled to hold my tongue and not laugh. He looked like a fish out of water, flopping about trying to right himself in the thick heavy sand. He shook it out of his hair, glaring up at me.

"Sorry, Sorry!" I grinned wildly, flashing my teeth. "I didn't think you would really fall."

"Idiot." He snorted.

"Alright really, I mean it." I chuckled lowly, sticking my hand out to help him up. "Come on now."

He eyed me suspiciously for a second before gripping my skin with his larger hand and instead of letting me pull back, he yanked the weight of me down, sending a ray of sand up as I collapsed forward halfway on top of him, gathering a mouthful of sand and a whole truckload down my shirt. It was his turn to laugh this time, though it was cautious as he thought I would turn and claw his eyes out for even daring pull me down.

I was about to get angry and be hypocrite about the whole thing, until I remembered the way that Touya and I used to wrestle or play fight in the shallow areas of the ocean—picking up mud and throwing it back and forth with clumps of seaweed that stuck to our hair and gave us paper cut-like scratches. The awestruck expression turned to excitement as I rolled over, flattening Hyuu back into the sand and then hopping up to grab Kukui's pokeball off my waist.

"Kyou~" Hyuu pushed up off the ground, having missed his chance to rub dirt in my face because I was faster than him. I skipped back a few paces and threw my favorite pokemon's ball, strategically snapping Hyuu in the back with it before Kukui was unleashed.

She stumbled a bit herself, then jolting around looking for danger only to find me shaking with quiet laughter.

"Water gun Kukui! Let's wet some sand."

Her pale blue eyes brightened, glowing with mischief as we used to wet beach sand on the island often when we needed the right consistency to make sandcastles with. She knew what I meant when I said this, and within a moment she was spewing powerful waves of water at the desert dust, drowning it in healthy moisture. Excited I flung my bag down and gripped the ends of my shirt to pull it off swiftly, now regretting that I hadn't worn my wetsuit.

"What are you doing?" Hyuu ran a hand through his hair, finally gotten up after my initial attack, and blinking in awe.

I grinned, scooping to pick up a handful of mud and finding that it wasn't nearly the same as beach sand when it was wet—it was softer and more compact like the sand that formed around lake beaches.

"Heh." I dipped two fingers in the handful and lined my cheeks with streaks of the red tinted mud. It wasn't the same, but it felt somehow more like home this way. "Touya used to do this with me."

"Does it involve taking off my shirt?" Hyuu wondered, surely blushing this time with embarrassment.

"Not unless you want a muddy shirt." I mused, curling the mudball in my hand and then aimlessly rolling it about my fingertips.

Hyuu looked a little repulsed at the idea, but Kukui, who was all too willing to get dirty on this warm summer night in the desert, shot him a quick squirt of water—to the back of his head to taunt him. He flinched thickly with surprise.

"Alright. Fine." Hyuu perched his lips and mimicked me in the way he pulled his shirt off, both arms over his head to reveal the funny lines of armpit hair he had—thicker than my own.

I waited until the shirt covered his eyes before launching the mudball at his side and making him gasp like the sound of the cold slap on his skin.

Cackling I high-fived Kukui and urged her to wet more of the sand around me.

"You don't play very fair!" Hyuu tossed his shirt aside in an area where the sand was still warm and dry from the earlier sun.

Snickering I bent to scoop up another ball of mud, imagining that Hyuu was Touya and that this was back on Mintonga Island when we were younger and there wasn't but a care in the world. Something must have struck me wrong in this instant—for me to act so… strangely silly.

"L—Let me get Alec!" Hyuu begged, holding his hands up in his face so that my next attack didn't get in his eyes.

Laughing I waited, giving him the chance to recover and let a very confused Alec out of the ball. The smaller water pokemon seemed taunted by Kukui and her powerful streaming water as if it was no big deal. Something seemed to strike me as odd between the two pokemon who had been such good friends before Kukui evolved—I couldn't say I minded their distance though, Kukui was always happier when she didn't have a care in the world.

"Make mud Alec!" Hyuu demanded as I chucked another ball forward, having given him the time he needed.

The otter pokemon shrugged in panic, trying to figure out how in the world he was supposed to make mud when he was a water pokemon.

"Osh!"

Kukui cackled with laughter at his confusion of such a simple task, and I realized that I was chirping along as she blasted him with a new found frosty, slushy water gun. Icicles formed on his fur and he yelped in surprise, flipping back into the sand and spraying his own weaker water gun up into the air—it rained on Hyuu as the trainer tried to wipe a spatter of mud from his face.

"Arceus Hyuu you suck at this." I commented mildly as he and his pokemon both floundered about, disoriented. "Don't you know how to have fun?"

Hyuu grunted, scrubbing his arm across his face. "This isn't exactly my kind of fun…"

I folded my arms, wiping my hands on my chest and down my stomach as if it really could help clean them from the mud. "Then what is?"

"I—I don't know…" Hyuu twisted his lips down a bit. "You know… I think there is some water around here somewhere—a rocky lake or something. I bet we could find it."

Large expanses of water? My heart curled with delight in my chest. "Why didn't you say something! Let's do it!"

Hyuu grunted. "No mud hopefully."

Licking my lips I bent and scooped up another handful.

"Kyouhe-!

~N~

_June 15th_

To: Blackie

Nimbasa City… yes my love, I admit to you my location.

If I do recall correctly… this was the place I fell in love with you. My dearest Blackie you captured my heart in this mechanical city of lights and neon and excitement. Under a full moon on the ferriswheel I told you how I felt—though I had been in denial for very long before that. It was here that I gave you my heart—something I can't quite seem to give to anyone else. The love I have for you is amazing, stronger than ever before as I enter this city for the first time in years.

I haven't been here since the time with you… mostly because I knew it would hurt too much. My most prized memory…

It always will be… but a wrecking ball in my chest, threatening to crack the ribs protecting my already broken heart.

I have a confession my love, my dearest Blackie.

I have come back to Nimbasa… not because I am over the feelings or anything of the sort, but because I have found a reason. And no matter how much that reason kills me inside I must follow it.

My reason is a boy, probably four or five years younger than me, with the same freckles on his face that you had so many years ago—when you first came to find me in Unova. He has your face Touya. He walks like you. He talks with the accent you had. He… he somehow is you. Or a part of him at the very least.

His name is Kyouhei, and I plan to ride the ferriswheel with him. Not because I don't love you, or because I am in love with him—because I'm not, but because somehow I feel a tiny fraction of a connection to you by being with him. I may not be sane in this sense… but I am a smaller bit of whole. I am… a little less lost around Kyouhei, a little more focused.

I love you my dearest Blackie. Nothing will ever change that. I love you. I'm sorry. I love you. I love you so much…

I will always love you…

Love: N Harmonia

I snapped the pen of my final letter, throwing it and its spray of ink across the table top of a picnic table. It spattered against the wood, resembling the way blood could glistened under the harsh light of the moon. My heart was in a wreck, twisted into an oblivion so far beyond what I could reach.

Touya was DEAD. So why did I feel this way? Why was I still writing letters that would never be retrieved?

Furious and in defeat I read my letter over again, thinking about my beloved Blackie and the one called Kyouhei, who resembled him so…

Wiping my tears from my eyes I pushed the envelope I planned on using away, telling myself that only crazy people wrote letters to the dead. And… I knew I was crazy but that didn't mean I didn't have to be… right?

I reread the letter before me one more time, letting salty tears slip from my cheeks to the paper and somehow back again—the letter made me cry more.

I was nowhere near sane…

Shaking with misery I crumpled the letter never to be sent to my one true love—my lost love—and threw it in the trash can nearby.


	25. Chapter 25

~Hyuu~

Nimbasa was… interesting to say the least. There was an obvious change in appearance of these strange people here… almost like we walked onto a movie set that took place in a candy story—only it was the whole town. Bright and airy I feeling I walked across the streets and lined sidewalks of concrete, contemplating just where to let this all happen.

Where was I going to tell Kyouhei that I loved him?

I had tried to work up the strength to tell him once before while on the boat to the mainland, but it ended badly when I realized that all he seemed to care about what NOT falling in love, and those who were against it. He was… I didn't have a word for it… but rather supportive of anti-love. And it killed me a little on the inside every single day because I knew that at some point I had to suffer the consequences of either giving up on him, or hoping that I could convert him into someone that did believe in love.

Of course it had to be in the right moment though… it had to be someplace that made Kyouhei happy or at least put him in the good mood.

I knew that this place was not the pokemon center because it was filled with harmed pokemon, so while we stopped there while heading into the town I had to restrain myself. Kyouhei was always a little angry in places like that—is if his pokemon being hurt wasn't his fault and he didn't have a choice but to drop it off there.

Kukui and Alec weren't hurt though, just a little tired from the journey across the desert, which had taken us about twenty four hours in total, though had we walked through the night instead of stopping we would have made it in under twelve hours.

I couldn't say I was upset we stopped though, my feet had been killing me and I got to see a side of Kyouhei that I rarely did. He was… playful last night. He had wrestled with me in the shallows of a clay-water lake mud-hole thing in the middle of the desert where the sand didn't blow in our eyes because of the moisture. He told me all about how he and Touya used to have these sort of mock fights on the beach back on their island homeland, (Mintonga) and the only way he would ever win was if he happened to slip out of Touya's grasp because naturally his older brother was stronger than him.

Kyouhei told me that I was a wimp because he managed to get me pinned on my back time and time again, but what he didn't know was that I allowed him to do this to me so that I could have the motivation to keep wrestling with him. If I allowed myself to beat him then he wouldn't understand my motive for more play fighting, but rather if he won then I had more reason to try and grab him—his sides, his shoulders, his legs and feet, and even his hips when I saw a chance. I was allowing myself to be incompetent when really his shorter, leaner frame could have been under my strength in a heartbeat—I wasn't quite as slow as his older brother was.

The idea of being able to overpower Kyouhei was also very… invigorating in my mind. Like the idea of how I touched him while "trying" to pin him in the shallow mud and lake water made my insides quiver, the idea of overpowering him—smothering him under my weight and heat and passion made me want to lose my mind. I wanted to go ballistic at the thought of taking him, making him gasp and succumb, the idea of winning a completely other battle that involved more biting and scratching, and less mud and water.

It scared me to know that as much as I wanted to hold him tenderly, whisper I loved him in his ear, and leave butterfree kisses on his freckles cheekbones, I wanted to render him helpless and plow his body; tenderize him as if he were a piece of meat. I wanted to season that flesh with my own, make him mine, leave me territorial mark of love on his most sensitive of areas—his neck, his hips, his nipples.

I wanted to have sex with him. Hot violent, and yet perfectly passionate sex in which I could slowly, powerfully unleash my rage on his slender yet sturdy body.

Alone this idea made me hot—so hot that I wound up splashing water on my face in the fast-food restaurant bathroom while Kyouhei ordered far too much white rice and vegetables and not enough meat.

Looking in the mirror I took a deep breath, happy that this was a single person bathroom so that I didn't have to worry about someone walking in and wondering why I was so worked up—they might ask me if I had a fever since the heat was radiating off my body. Literally, the closer I got to the mirror that sat on the wall beneath the air conditioner, the more I could see steam form around my forehead and neck in my reflection. I was red as a candy apple and planning to blame it on sunburn from the desert yesterday if I had to.

Tugging against my collar I breathed, wiping the back of my neck again and trying to think of a better topic in my mind—the Chinese food we were going to eat. Simple enough right?

Even that made me self conscious of my appearance.

A thick knock sounded on the door. "Hyuu?"

I cleared my throat before speaking. "Yeah?"

"Coming in." Kyouhei opened the door without another word, assuming that I wasn't using the toilet or anything I suppose, and taking advantage of the broken lock on the knob. I flinched, dipping my head down to splash another palm of water onto my face.

"Make yourself at home." I muttered, trying not to let this little incident bother me—Kyouhei was from an island where they didn't even have separated female and male restrooms, so I couldn't expect him to have any self regard for his uncaring "I don't give a shit about my naked body" nature. It wasn't the first time he had revealed himself nude to me—the other being when I iced his ass for him.

I stared into my reflection in the mirror as Kyouhei so boldly saddled up against the urinal, pissing without a care in the world—I wondered if he would do this if he knew how I felt about him.

"We're number sixty-one." Kyouhei sighed with relief at his emptied bladder.

I shuffled away from the sink awkwardly, grabbing a few paper towels and drying my hands in a shitty fashion before leaving quickly. Any normal human being would have been angry at me for opening the door while they were pissing—but not Kyouhei. I shut it tight anyways and ran a hand through my hair before stepping out into the main part of the restaurant. There was a table with Kyouhei's bag sitting at it—out in the open where it could potentially be stolen; I would have to explain to that boy that was a bad idea later—and a single filled cup with his drink and an empty cup which I assumed was mine. The food had also come out already, which both concerned me because—how long was I in the bathroom?—and because I hoped it was cooked all the way through.

Suspiciously I stepped over, plucking a vegetable from the plate and putting it in my mouth. It wasn't horrible, but a little salty as most Chinese food was. I was about to turn to go get my drink filled when I noticed that there was two fortune cookies sitting together on the tray.

My heart flickered, as if it suddenly knew that something was going to happen here in Nimbasa, and without thinking I picked up the hard cookie furthest from me and snapped it open, not bothering with dinner before desert.

I read it with a lump in my throat.

iChances are worth taking, but the affects of them could be forever/i

…..

Fuck this…. dammit.

"So tomorrow I will challenge the gym first this time… A—and I plan on using Huko and Hageshi because Kukui will be hurt very badly if I let her battle an electric type." Kyouhei seemed to be trying to reason with himself rather than me—as if I could decide his battle strategy for him.

"You feel confident right?" I mused, humoring him as he talked openly, not realizing that he was closer to me than ever before. "Huko evolved and Hageshi is a beast so no big deal."

Kyouhei didn't look convinced as he rolled over on the bed we lay leisurely on, not quite ready to separate into the two beds of this room and go to sleep. We had both eaten our fill and taken hot showers to sooth our rather achy muscles, but it wasn't as if we were so tired as to just crash like usually—it was only eight anyways.

Pidove fluttered about the room, flapping his pudgy wings and making chirping noises against the closet door, which was a mirror that he could see himself in. The fat little feather ball had been enjoying pecking about my nest of hair before I took a shower and got it wet.

"Hmm… I think I'm confident." Kyouhei folded his arms behind his head, making the small dainty chain and sharpedo tooth necklace fall to the side of his chest. "Are you?"

I blinked idly, not sure if I should be concentrating on his question or the way that pretty little tooth lay on his skin.

"Yeah I am." I said absently, reaching forward and hooking the tooth between my fingers. "Where did you get this?"

"My brother found it when he was younger, and he gave it to me for my tenth birthday. He told me that it made him strong… and that it could make me strong too" Kyouhei mumbled, looking at the thing as I curled it around my fingertips. The meaning seemed to take a moment to set in before I realized that me and Touya, the great Black, had some things in common—we both had younger siblings we would do anything for.

"You and your brother were close weren't you?"

This was a tender subject for Kyouhei—he didn't seem to ever show how much he cared about his brother or how much his brother cared about him, but the underlying details of such a gift made it seem like the honest truth was there. And I wanted to know. This part of him was a mystery to me because I had never been the younger siblings, so I didn't know how it could feel.

Kyouhei sighed heavily. "We were… until he moved away and fell in love and then saved a whole region."

I let the tooth fall back against his chest as he stared up at the ceiling, unsure of himself and what he was trying to say.

"Are you jealous?" I wondered. "Or do you feel betrayed?"

"No." his response came so fast it made me positive that he felt both jealousy and betrayal from his older brother. "It's just that he changed. He used to be… so much different than before he fell in love."

Again this topic—every time I wanted to tell him about how I felt, this topic came up.

"My mother was traveling when she "fell in love" with my father on Mintonga island… and she wound up stuck there marrying him and having two kids before she decided it was ok to just leave. She changed Hyuu, don't you get it? Love makes you change and it makes you unfaithful—you lose yourself. You hurt the people around you because you love someone, and in the end it doesn't last. So what is the point to begin with?"

My heart was aching with his logic. I wanted to tell him so badly that love may not always last but it is always pure. The heart doesn't lie, the heart is the truest and most pure thing in the body—unlike your mind which can decide things logically on its own, or your eyes which always seemed to betray you to a surface scratch. The heart didn't lie, and I wanted to tell him that at some point his mother was in love with his father, and that Touya falling in love had been real because… love wasn't a façade. I didn't know Touya personally but I knew that I there had to have been some sort of reason to him and his love going separate ways. There was change yes, I wouldn't argue with Kyouhei about that, but it didn't meant that love never existed.

"No one can predict the future though…" I mumbled. "Kyouhei… when you mom and dad got married they loved each other."

"And then love screwed them over." He snorted.

"But maybe it was worth it for the time being… I mean, would your mother ever regret having you? Or Touya? Never. So how can you say she regrets love?"

He seemed to flinch at my comment. "I didn't say she regret it, I'm just saying it screwed her over. It screwed everyone over… My dad got sick after heartache and he passed away and I was left on an island myself."

My heart was stampeding in my chest as I opened my mind to this part of Kyouhei—a vague section of who he is that I didn't know much about. He was like a puzzle, where the inside pieces got bigger as you placed them out, whereas most sensible people start puzzle from the outside in, with a structured border.

I recalled that simple little fortune cookie from the Chinese place earlier today… telling me that I could take chanced but the results could be forever. Like love, feelings could change but they never exactly went away. Nothing could destroy the past, but things could destroy the present—things like waiting.

"I—I have to be honest with you… Kyouhei." I shifted from my side to my stomach, letting my eyes fall upon my folded hands under me. "I..."

"Hmm?" He huffed nonchalantly.

"You know… I don't really agree with you." I mused. "I think that love is… really a good thing…"

He snorted in response, shaking his head.

"You just haven't given it a chance…" I suggested, unable to meet his eyes as he turned and looked more willingly at me with dagger pupils.

"What are you trying to say?"

I flinched back from him, literally cringing as he turned to his side and caught my eye, demanding that I explain myself—that I give him a reason to go against everything he has ever believed in because let's face it, he had no living proof himself.

I had to do it though… I had to tell him, no matter how much I wanted to back out now I realized that I had stepped into a doorway and it closed and locked behind me. I was cornered with a gun against my chest, vibrating like the steady beat of my heart and wanting, willing to explode and tear it to shreds along with the pieces of shattered rib bone.

"Kyouhei…I—

My hands twitched, wanting to reach forward and touch his face, wanting to grab his cheeks in the palms of my hands and press my lips to his. It would be ten thousand times easier than saying how I felt—but he would kill me.

His eyes narrowed as he felt he mood shift. Even I could feel the protective layer of control slip out of my eyes. The molten red-violate lava melting with emotion. All the feelings I had wanted to tell him since the day I met him…

"Hyuu…" Kyouhei seemed to bare his teeth without trying, daring me to say what I wanted to say.

"I… really like… you…"

He shook his head in disbelief, rolling to the side from our peaceful position on the bed until he stood above me, his hands curling slightly. "No. No you don't."

"Kyouhei I do. I have since I met you!"

"No!" He disagreed. "Fucking no Hyuu! No we're friends but you don't like me. Eew!"

e—eww?

My chest swelled at the simple but disgusted noise. Eew? EEW? Is that what he thought of me? Panic in my chest made me vulnerable.

"Kyouhei I love you! Im tired of hiding it from you, so i—I just… I hate hearing you say that love is bad and you jus—

"LOVE IS STUPID!" He shouted now, gritting his teeth. "IT RUINED EVERYTHING FOR ME!"

I felt so small. So insignificant to that of this boy before me, raising his voice in either fear or anger or unsurity I didn't know… all I knew was that I couldn't believe that I had said anything. Regretting this choice almost instantly I sat up on the bed, watching as he whirled, snatching his pokedex from the tableside.

"Kyouhei! Please!" His intention struck me as horror, making me nearly choke on my emotions. I flew from the bed, blocking his path only as he wove around me, lithe and fast and so ice cold I felt as if the whole ocean had frozen over me and I was drowning in it.

"NO HYUU!" he snapped, shouldering past me. "YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS!"

"You don't have to feel this way!" I begged, tears swelling in my eyes as he flung the hotel room door open and let it crack against the wall.

No….no no NO!

This was not my intention! This was not what that damn fortune cookie told me would happen! This was not the happy ending I planned on!

Paralyzed and unable to chase after him I stared out the open hallway, seeing that he turned the corner at the first chance he got, heading towards the lobby of the hotel where he would make his great escape and not deal with me or my emotions anymore.

My heart was breaking.

The faintest trace of moisture rose in my eyes, beyond the shock and the fear and the hate for myself and this stupid decision I made… all the things I couldn't stand for.

But what killed me the most was that no matter how much I felt sorry for myself… I was always going to feel more sorry for Kyouhei. Tears streamed from my face as I allowed him to step outside my life.

At least I had a heart.

Kyouhei... he was cold.


	26. Chapter 26

~N~

In the lonely hours of early nightfall I didn't expect much other than a possible ferriswheel view—though it was plenty to render my helpless and in pain while couples strode by, intending to ride the magnificent thing and, those that walked into cart number six especially, without a care or a thought that maybe two years ago the greatest hero of this region had been there with his one true love.

The unknown was a scary thing, and as I approached this ride I realized that there were other potential and scary things awaiting me—the lights flickering, the people eyeing my long green hair as if a distance memory told them I was familiar, but could not spare then the facts about my past or my power. Zoroark was nearby, watching the painful scene before me as I stopped wandering aimlessly only to sit on a bench just outside the ride, folding my hands in my lap and wondering if it were just me, or if this summer the air had gotten heavier and thicker than ever before. I could feel the loose tendrils of my hair curling up lovingly at the moisture.

The ferrishwheel came to sudden stop again as I sat there, watching the boarding passengers enter the small building that took them into the rope-lined lines where they waited to board. In the summer this was a ride only for couples, or "friends" that came in twos, so I knew that I couldn't board even if I wanted to, but my stomach was still itching with desire. The mechanics, the type of brilliant clockwork that this ride had was more or less the most stable and beautiful thing I had ever seen—considering clockwork didn't happen often for me.

Eventually Zoroark abandoned her guard for a more leisurely stroll through a rose garden that smelt of high heavens behind me and the bench I sat on—I could hear her snuffling about in the form of a smaller pokemon, possibly a patrat or a purloin.

Sighing I watched the pairs of two head down this way of the amusement park, all holding hands or back pockets or making jokes with each other—making me feel sick to my stomach because it was all just too damn much.

I missed Touya… I missed the day he ran into the amusement park chasing none other than my own Team Plasma grunts, only to find me and ride the ferriswheel with me, where I then told him that I was the leader of Plasma, their beloved king, but that he was also my beloved soldier. I wanted him to be with me, believe me when I say I TRIED to get him to come on my side—to join Plasma with me and become powerful together. I was very ambitious at the time… but he had laughed, and… called me silly before folding his legs and is hands in his lap and letting me idolize him. He was very arrogant at the time despite his obvious and immense blushing. He was red with emotion, his breath sweet like honey in a way that I just couldn't resist.

I told him I loved him then and I kissed him. I kissed him for the very first time, having never kissed anyone else before in my lifetime.

I missed Touya… I loved him so much… and as if the make the sting stronger I found my mind suddenly retracting back to the obvious form of a boy much like Touya, but smaller, before me. I blinked unsteadily, trying to make my mind stop playing tricks on me, only to see that it was true, and that my uncanny daydream had brought this foreign freckled boy to my side.

Kyouhei stood before me, mouth taut and eyes looking rather guarded as I sniffed cautiously, intending on bearing the weight of such a gaze as it crushed me, much harder than the soft milky products of his usual irises.

"Hello." I breathed, thinking that perhaps Kyouhei was but a dark angel of my Blackie's afterlife. Maybe this younger boy was some kind of reminder, or constant guilt to nag at my heart for what I had done.

Since after all… my dearest Blackie was only dead because of me.

Angrily Kyouhei sat down n the bench beside me. "Hi."

"Is something wrong?" I whispered. "Will you tell me?"

He shook his head. "No… what are you doing here?"

"I can't answer you unless you tell me what is wrong?" I mused, glancing back up at the ferriswheel. "We could… ride the ferriswheel…"

Kyouhei snorted, his eyes exasperated as he looked at the brilliant thing. "It's for couples."

I shrugged. "It's for pairs and they can't question you. As long as two people are in a pair they won't say anything."

Kyouhei perched his lips in consideration before answering. "Alright fine… but…. You have to tell me who you are. And I don't just mean your first name."

I shook my head internally, though the faintest, most painful smile touched my eyes as I wanted to reach out and pull his hair—violence in the form of such admiration. He wasn't my Blackie, but he was so similar it made me want to harm him. I wanted to know him but I wanted to hurt him in the same way. Kyouhei was… so very breakable and that alone made me want to break him.

I stood with a huff, towering over the younger boy as he folded his arms across his chest—i realized now that he was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of ruby sweats which could easily be mistaken for workout clothes—but I knew that they must be pajamas. The pants were rolled on his hips too, far too big for such a slender and perfect waist.

The two of us didn't talk as we got into the line for this couples ride, and there were even a few people eyeing us suspiciously as if we should be holding hands or back pockets or exchanging jokes. I wanted to let them know that this was far harder for me than it was for them to bear—having Kyouhei so close to me.

The ticket counter charged us and I paid silently without even asking Kyouhei, nodding a small thanks to the man and heading to the boarding docks for a ride.

A bunch of about three couples were ahead of us, filling carts and making noise as they entered the steamy enclosed room of the pokeball shaped ferrishwheel—funny how my whole intention was to let pokemon be free, and yet I put myself and Touya into a position much like them two years ago. Was it because I wanted to catch Blackie and keep him all to myself? I glanced at Kyouhei as the ride rotated around to another set of three stations—none of which concerned cart number six—thinking that I wanted to capture Kyouhei myself.

"Hurry along! Cart number twelve!" The boarding man hollered at us, pointing at the nearest bulbous cart.

We walked steadily; maybe a little too uncomfortable with each other for such a small space, but it was all I could do not to break down at the moment. My stomach was curling, flipping about and aching and threatening to explode as I recalled stepping into the ride with Touya for the first time—my heart had been racing then but I had been smiling. Unlike now were a scowl bore the lines on my face down. I vowed never to ride the ferriswheel with anyone else… but this was just too ridiculous.

Kyouhei shot me a warning glance as I gestured him in before me, worried that he might miss a step and fall beneath the loading dock. I was a rather protective person over people who were smaller than me, and I could see that like Touya, he didn't appreciate it. Blackie had done the same thing to me years ago—that glare of disapproval.

I sat across from him on the inside, not bothering to adjust my face to a more friendly look as the boarding man closed our door air tight and started to small ventilation system from the top—it was too hot in such a small to have no air blowing, thus they tended to blast the AC in the summer like this.

Kyouhei leaned back against the cushioned bench seat across from me as the ride began to rotate—the start of a ten or so minute ride that I had a feeling would be the longest ten minutes of my life.

"So tell me." The freckled and foreign boy began. "Who are you?"

I swallowed. "I want to know why you look so upset first."

He made a repulsed noise in the back of his throat. "Fine. It's because my only friend just confessed love to me. And I can't stand love."

You and I both Kyouhei… I can't stand love either. It's a powerful thing that can render you helpless—so helpless as to kill the person you love. Even so, this was no life or death situation.

"Was it Hyuu?" I mused, remembering the name of the boy I disliked so much—the one with the odd dark navy blue hair and the purple cherry colored eyes.

Kyouhei cringed at the name. "Yeah."

"Why are you very angry with this?" I wondered. "Even if you don't return those feelings…"

Kyouhei seemed to let a flood of emotions come through his voice now, crackling with hate and uncertainty and dislike. "It's just that… everyone I know has… had someone they love hurt them. Everyone that loves always get hurt. Love doesn't last forever, nothing last forever! So what's the point in loving at all? IT changes people. My parents, my brother, and now Hyuu! There is no one left that ever stays true to themselves!"

My heart ached for a boy before me; so young and yet so able. He was lost, he didn't know what love felt like and he didn't know that it was unstoppable—the hardest emotion to overcome. Love was permanent regardless of change and… of all the people in the world I knew that it was me who knew this best—I had felt it firsthand.

"You poor babe." I shook my head as the cold air conditioner made him shiver, but didn't cool the fire in his eyes. "Did you know that while you are… right when you say nothing lasts forever… you… you've never been in love have you?"

"No and I don't want to be. I WONT ever be."

"You poor babe." I repeated again, leaning over and resting my elbows on my knees to look at him. "Love is inevitable Kyouhei… Love is indestructible and unstoppable. If it's going to happen to you, there's nothing you can do about it."

"I've got more control than that." He insisted, crossing his arms and not looking at me, but out the window at the slowly decreasing details of Nimbasa's amusement park.

"Kyouhei… I had control. I had all the control in the world." I told him, remembering the power and feeling of Team Plasma under my veins. All the pain and the power and control in the world—the things I had that no one could take away from me. Except love…

"Love took it away from me." I told him. "I fell in love two years ago and… I was so in love Kyouhei. Kyouhei look at me!"

He grit his teeth as my voice leaped to a larger volume and then faded again. My throat was tight with agony as I slipped from my spot on the bench across from him and knelt on the floor—we were about eye level here, me with my hands on either side of him so that he had nowhere to go.

"I loved Kyouhei… I loved something so much that I ended up killing them. I put them in danger, selfishly, and I watched them die."

Kyouhei swallowed lifelessly as I explained.

"Love is not something you choose, it's something that just happens."

He shook his head.

"You don't even know what love is." I allowed.

He blinked. "How does anyone?"

A growing hurt in my chest made me vulnerable, eager to tell him my most painful of memories. "Love is not being able to see straight. Love is your hands shaking and your eyes growing wet with passion. You body succumbing to heat. It's the way it feels when someone is touching your skin." I rose my fingers and touched the base of his neck, sliding them up his throat where I could only imagine the large marks my fingers could make upon suffocation.

"Love is leaning in close and taking a breath—the last breath—before pressing your lips softly to theirs and realizing that its cold and it's never going to be warm again."

Kyouhei shivered as my mouth lingered by his throat, taking in the deep smell of salt water on him. He even smelt like Blackie…

"Love is running away, and hiding for two years." I whispered as Kyouhei turned to stone beneath me, not moving and unable to reason with my slithering touch and my lips threatening to touch his collarbone as I sniffed a long steady breath upon him. My hands trembled as he had no strength to argue with such reason—who was he anyways? What right did this child have to argue with me when I had been through every phase of love from holding hands to wild sex to making eye contact from across the room to watching my lover die—and then having to leave him.

"Love is unbearable." I whimpered into him, skimming my nose upon his jaw and scraping my teeth just below his ear, my hands fighting with logic and how much I wanted to damage this boy for being like Touya—for being a rendition of Blackie.

And then there was a high pitched alarm, making me grunt and pull away, falling back to my knees as it brought him from his paralyzed state—he looked to have been holding his breath for something, and upon leaving it he panted, stumbling about his pocket for the distraction—the phone call that saved him from my grasp.

He didn't even look at the screen as he pulled a pokegear from his pocket, flipped it open and pushed it to his ear. His voice was unsteady as he choked.

"H—Hey."

"Kyouhei? Hey broski what's going on, you haven't called me in over a week!" I heard the faint muted voice on the other line.

My heart froze, literally shielding over with ice as I realized that this was all too much—even the pokegear he was holding. This was… this wasn't a matter of similarities anymore. This was real. Suddenly. Everything made sense.

The freckles, the accent, the way they smelled. The two years difference and the older version pokedex he held as the voice, thick and familiar, mumbled on the other line, close enough to my ears in this small ferriswheel cart.

My whole world seemed to come to the top—like the way we stopped high above the city to see the world below us, faded and muted like my every nightmare and dream and emotion. My heart was freezing, only to thaw into something much more swollen, hot, pulsing with blood as Kyouhei answered what I came to realize was his brother on the other line.

"S—sorry…" Kyouhei mumbled as he stared into my eyes, a sudden realization throughout the whole goddamn universe, all stuffed into one little ferriswheel cart.

"Give me the phone." I huffed, a deadly threat sitting in the back of my throat.

"Wha-?" Kyouhei barely murmured.

iWho was that Kyouhei?/i Touya's voice reached me, stinging an iron hot wound through my skin and flesh and muscle.

He was alive.

My heart was pounding as Kyouhei shaking with uncertainty, handed me the pokegear.

iKyouhei?!/i Touya called from the palm of my hand as I raised it to my ear.

My heart stopped.

"B—Blackie?"


	27. Chapter 27

~Touya~

I'd damn that girl to hell for taking so long to get me my transportation into the mainland.

"I'm sorry!" Touko huffed, panting as Zekrom landed just beside Flocessy Ranch, in an area where the trees diverted to form a meadow and the moonlight shown down in a cool white glow.

"There's no time for sorry!" I shouted, grabbing the pokeball she kept Zekrom in for me and racing to my beast—who let out a low, aggravated groan because he knew that we were going to be going fast, and that at this pace it was easy for me to slip off. Despite Zekrom being my pokemon, he had a terribly close bond with Touko who was his caretaker. The two flew often and he didn't feel as safe flying with others. Not even me.

"Do you want me to come with you?!" Touko asked as the electric tail engine began to spark, lighting small things on fire only so that the wind could blow them out. Her eyes looked rather pleading but I knew this wasn't something she really intended on doing because… this was my time.

Two years of being alone. Two years of not knowing what might have happened to the one person in this world I loved so much I would die for—except maybe beside my brother. Two years of reading those letters every night and shedding a tear because my heart was so broken—no—it was so shattered that there was no hope for it at all.

And now this. My brother. My own stubborn, ignorant, and snarky younger brother found him. He found him and by sheer coincidence and not only that, but he couldn't have had a fucking clue… if it weren't for the fact that I just so happened to call at that particular moment in time.

And even more than that…

WHY WAS MY BROTHER RIDING THE FERRISWHEEL WITH HIM?

"BLACK!" Touko snarled at me as my daydreaming got in the way of what she wanted to say to me.

"What?" I demanded over the roar of the tail engine—Zekrom groaning and sparking beneath me. I could feel lighting traveling through my finger tips.

She held up her hand in a gesture of pure strength and vigor flipping me off with not her middle finger, but her long and nimble ring finger, where a simple but brilliant diamond sat flickering in the moonlight.

She got engaged?

I shook my head, ignoring her gesture and knowing that she would tell me about it later regardless of my reaction now.

I had better things to do.

I had to go to N.

….

~Kyouhei~

"So you mean to tell me that you—you love my brother?!" I shrieked, slapping a hand over my face as an anxious and pacing man stood beneath the lights of the ferriswheel, nearly running into people as he was unable to calm down awaiting my brother.

"And what the hell was that back there on the ferriswheel huh?" I growled, embracing the ignorance he was having towards me. I could see, literally that his hands were shaking. "Why did you try and bite me!"

Actually I wasn't sure what he had been doing in the moment my brother called, but he had pushed his lips against my throat and I just assumed that I meant he was going to bite me—maybe he was a vampire. A giant string bean vampire.

"N!"

The green haired man turned and knelt before me, on his knees once again but this time it wasn't so creepy or violent, but rather weak as he let his head fall into my lap and wrapped his long arms around my back. He trembled, eyes looking up at me cautiously as I glared down.

"Get off!"

"No Kyouhei. You—you precious little thing. You precious baby brother. I—I can't believe you brought me back to Blackie."

"Fuck off!" I shoved his head away. "Please before I puke on you! Were in public!"

N grunted but would not budge until he felt that he had embraced me enough. He was such a solemn person, so mysterious and creepy and to be honest, that's what I liked about him—but now he was just coming undone. He was a blubbering mess, wiping his tears on my lap and shaking, whispering my brother's name as if me being related to him, gave the permission for him to touch me.

I kneed him harshly. "N!"

This time growling he got off of me, standing and pushing a large hand down on my shoulder so that he could plant a harsh kiss to my forehead.

"Fuck you!" I kicked him in the shin. "Arcues what is even going on!"

N, unfazed as I shoved at him and tried to get away—was he trying to pick me up? FUCK NO.

"You have reunited me and your brother. Kyouhei—Kyouhei look at me!" N demanded then, his strange lapse in personality fading into the usually deep considerate way he spoke—quite and muted now he brushed my hair back, and it pissed me off because I couldn't escape the way his emerald eyes captured mine.

N placed a real kiss on my forehead this time, light and gentle as he wanted nothing more than to thank me for what I had done—when in reality I had done nothing. Groaning I tried to push him away again, but he gripped my chin in his hand harshly and forced me to except it.

"I knew it… I knew you and your brother were connected… why do you think I followed you around?" N murmured, shifting to be sitting beside me.

"You were stalking me!?" I jolted back. Hyuu was right….

Fuck… what was I going to do about Hyuu…? I shook my head to get the thought away; I would have to deal with it later.

Somehow though… the things that happened between Hyuu and I didn't seem as important as what was happening right now—this mysterious man somehow being connected to me from two years ago.

I recalled a strange memory in the back of my mind, from before I left on his journey… my brother had told me about someone he loved from his journey as a pokemon trainer. What was her name again?

I perched my lips as N rubbed his face, trying to handle the emotions running through him—it made me feel like a zombie, as Lizzie stated once before.

"What about… Harmony?" I mused, thinking that that was the name my brother said. "Touya said he was in love with someone named Harmony… and then she left him."

N seemed to stop for a second, his eyes reverting around to mine as if I somehow was the crazy one. He blinked once, and then a batshit crazy grin spread across his face—so glorious and evil I thought I might get swallowed up by it whole. N also had the most perfect white teeth I had ever seen, and they flashed under the moon and made me flinch. No one had that perfect of a mouth—except maybe Hyuu… who also smiled so lovingly when he wa—

Enough about Hyuu. I blinked as N shook his head.

"I'll punish him for that." N breathed the smile on his face away.

I didn't get it… but at this point I was happy to settle with not knowing. This was so weird. My brother… I felt so far away from him. Suddenly I felt even further than before. As if so much had happened I couldn't even stand it. I was locked outside while everyone else was feeling this way on the inside. I was… alone…

For the first time ever I realized that I was absolutely alone.

Looking at N I felt nothing, not warmth in his happiness or in my brothers voice on the phone from before. I felt empty, as if the world was moving in one direction and passing me by while I was taking one step forward and two steps back.

I missed the way things used to be. I missed the warm island I grew up on. I missed the way it was…

"N!"

The green haired man shot up from beside me, jolting around and leaving me stranded on the bench where I could wallow in this sort of fear of being alone, or more so recognition. Frowning I pulled my knees up to my chest and set my head on it, watching as this whole reunion unfolded before me.

My brother, windblown hair and racing forward, dodging people in the way until there was a line of sight from where he was to where N stood, not quite able to move but bringing his arms forward.

It looked…. It looked….

I couldn't take it.

Gritting my teeth I hid my face, unable to bear the love before me. My brother was already hurt once.

It was only going to happen again.

…..

~N~

Two years… two years of having lost the love of my life… thinking he was dead when in all honesty I was too stupid to think that miracles could happen and that he could be alive. Somehow, someway or another Touya had survived that night we battled and I left him with nothing but a cold kiss on his lips as he took his last—but not really his last—breath. I had been… so eager to leave that battlefield and escape the pain of knowing that I had killed my own lover. That my power and my people had taken him out. Along with the crippled remains of his team and the one single pokemon, too weak to dodge an attack that would have killed Touya in any normal circumstance.

Touya had braced my own father's pokemon as it tore his skin, and let blood gush to the stone floor. Serperior had been meant to receive this splitting attack, but in the end it was the trainer who took it—took the wrath of my father because I was too weak. I let Touya beat me because there was no way I could eliminate him. My love had been too strong and in the end it was a mistake.

But while I had let all this happen… what killed me the most was my reaction. My initial leaving. The kiss before I left Touya to die—he remembered it too. I knew he did because… because I could feel it. Touya was alive when I kissed him and that was a mistake, the last emotion before he was supposed to die was going to be love—love so deep it would carry him to the afterlife and beyond… but he hadn't died so othe emotion was forgotten and replaced with betrayal.

Under the light of the churning ferriswheel I found him again. Two years of writing letters to my dead lover and more than that… he was alive. He had READ the things I said, the emotions in my guilty heart. All those things I sent him and never once did he get a return address. I realized now that it was my own heartache that caused this two year gap between us. It was my fault.

"N!" He was already a wreck, tears streaming from his eyes as he came down the steps into this area of the amusement park, his arms hitting the people around him and stumbled about, the moonlight dancing off his shoulders.

My angel…my fallen angel that was meant to die. The angel that had somehow lived on two years of my misery—of his misery. I raised my arms, eyes swelling with emotions. My Blackie…

Blackie…

He hit me then, like a ton of realistic bricks as I imagined his form flitting right through me, disappearing into the wind like a phantom. I imagined him a ghost, or a fragment of my imagination. Or a dream that would so cruelly end as he hit me, wrapping his arms around my back and letting out a wretched sob.

This was real. I realized as my eyes widened—the feeling of him in my arms. The way he smelled, somehow like the ocean after so long of never touching salt water. His skin, soft as ever but not dotted with the precious freckles the sun had given him—the kisses on his cheeks that faded unlike the ones his baby brother still sported.

"T-Touya."I whispered, heart racing as he sobbed into me. "Tou—

"N—no." Touya shook his head. "Sa—say what you used to!"

Swallowing I reached down to grip him by the waist, finding that it was more solid than I remembered. I gripped him tightly, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him tighter, into a hug I couldn't comprehend. The depth of such emotion—the love I had for this person. This creature. This demon that broke me so long ago— but he saved me.

"Blackie." I shook with relief, love, my muscles contracting to his shape and the way he pulled on the tendrils of hair falling between my shoulder blades.

This was too much. These feelings… and yet I was afraid.

It was a sickening reminder in the back of my mind to know that even after two years someone could recognize me for who I was—the law could catch up to me if someone felt reason for it to. I had done horrible things… things that could separate me and Blackie even now. Years later and I was afraid for him. I was afraid that something would take him away from me.

"Y—you asshole." He whined into my shirt. "Yo-you never even sent a return address! Why? N!"

I knew he was just upset. Upset as I was in this time of fortunate reunion. I held him, unable to answer his question because I knew the answer was irrelevant. Touya didn't want an answer anyways, he just wanted this moment—this painful reunited moment to hurry up and be over. I knew that we both were thinking about every single moment we had spent away from each other. What did he think of me? What did he think I thought of him?

"I love you." I whispered, words that I had said so clearly in my mind and yet so voiceless for so long. The days I spent telling myself I would always love him—and now the falsity in this idea that he was gone. That love could go into the afterlife with him because he was not yet there. I loved him… and he was here.

With me. That's all that mattered. He was here.

"I—I love you so much." Touya blubbered, eyes streaming as mine did, though tipping his head back to reveal to me his precious face.

He was soaked with emotion, drowning in it as I took his chin softly in my fingers, tipping his head back. Those perfect brown eyes sparkled, a bright warm chestnut color that was so familiar it actually hurt. The faintest trace of red in his eyes, the dark rim of lashes around them, and the tiny crease between them that never seemed to go away.

He sniveled, much more like a child than I ever remembered, and yet it was easy to see how much he had grown in the last two years. From seventeen to nineteen was a big difference, especially when you are a late pubescent boy like Touya had been.

However now he was strong and flourishing, with a strong jaw and firm features and muscle. He had grown a lot since I saw him last—so frail and broken on the floor of the Team Plasma castle. I tipped his head back and bent, ever so gently and trying to let the image of his cold lips stop me. I breathed, and he held his breath, as he always did so long ago.

This was real… and I couldn't believe it…

Gently I pressed my lips to his.

And he so rashly pushed his tongue between mine.


	28. Chapter 28

~Hyuu~

Rosa was luckily still in Nimbasa when I called her, only a few moments after my mental breakdown over Kyouhei, and she came rushing over with—I kid you not—a gallon of chocolate ice cream and a box of ridiculously high end chocolates.

"This is fucking stupid." I whined around another piece of chocolate. "I'm not some pmsing chick."

"I'm not forcing you to eat it; you are eating it on your own." Rosa scoffed as she took another bite of chocolate. I didn't prefer chocolate ice cream but I had a sweet tooth for pretty much any other kind of chocolate, thus we split the endearing food and I ended up getting the whole box while she took the gallon.

"You are such a chick." She added as I chewed on a chocolate covered almond. "Now why don't you tell me what's up?"

I sniffed stubbornly. "I—I told Kyouhei how I feel."

She nearly choked on her spoon.

"And he… rejected me."

This time she coughed in surprise, taking the spoon out of her mouth before she really did choke and putting it back in the gallon. "Well what the hell did you do that for?!"

"I love him!"

"We no shit, but I mean… why did you tell him?"

I pushed my face into the hotel room sheets with a groan, murmuring that a fortune cookie told me to do it.

"What?"

"A fortune cookie." I said louder, still hiding my face. "A fucking fortune cookie told me to take chances!"

Rosa cackled mercilessly, leaning over to smack me over the head. "Well there's your problem you dumb shit. No one listens to those things! They're like horoscopes."

"I listen to horoscopes too…" I grumbled.

"Cus you are such a chick." She scolded. "Man up. Come on. If you really want Kyouhei to like you then maybe you need to show some aggression. Maybe he's the kind of guy that needs to have it rough you know?"

I shivered at the thought, remembering how many times I wanted to make Kyouhei scream my name. I knew I could be rough with him… but I had the feeling that if it ever came down to it things wouldn't be as easy as that. I would probably be awkward and end up being gentle… because I wouldn't want to hurt him.

Not to mention Kyouhei had all the fire between the two of us… Kyouhei was a spicy little thing with a temper that I just couldn't understand. I wasn't like that… I was mellow and calm.

"I don't think Kyouhei is like that…" I sighed. "You know you aren't very compassionate, Rosa… you are kind of making me feel worse… I mean what am I supposed to do? I promised his brother I would keep him safe. And he doesn't know where he is going on his own… He… hes going to get hurt or something." The protective emotions started to swim in my heart. "Oh Rosa… W—why doesn't he understand that love isn't a bad thing?"

"To be honest I don't think it's something you understand… I think it's just something you feel. But hell, what do I know, I've never been in love."

"Do you ever think about it though? Do you want to be in love Rosa?"

She shrugged. "With the right person, but in the meantime, eh I could care less. I mean. Whats love got to offer me anyways? I'm a trainer, I'm trying to uncover this mystery about Team Plasma, and I think… well I think that love would kinda get in my way right now. But in the future you know…I would love to have a husband and maybe even some little kidlets running around."

"I don't ever think about things that far into the future…" I said, trying to imagine Rosa as a mother. She would be stern but… actually probably good. "I just think about what we could be now…"

"Well maybe you should think about what to do now to be that. And not what you just want it to be. Take action."

"I took a chance today and he rejected me Rosa… and it wasn't even a kind rejection. No. He flat out said "eew"!"

Rosa tried not to laugh. "So he's a bit homophobic? So what? Most guys are."

"That was such an insult!" I insisted. "Rosa… I was crying before I called you! I was hurting and you just keep laughing at me…"

She snorted, licking her ice cream spoon and then shoving the half eaten gallon away before flopping over the top of me. I grunted as she clambered about, positioning herself on my back like she used to when we were younger. She messed my hair.

"Ok fine. I'm sorry. And I do feel bad about what happened but I really don't know what to tell you. I mean…"

"Well I know that you can't force someone to love you…" I mused.

"I don't agree with that." She said resting her chin on my head. "I'll bet you could get that little shit to love you."

"No. No Rosa you don't understand." I shook my head. "He HATES anything that has to do with love or romance or… feelings in general."

"Maybe you aren't approaching him the right way?" she said. "Maybe…ooh~ I've got an idea." She twirled her fingers through my hair unkindly. "Maybe you just need to… you know. Catch him off guard. Be dominant Hyuu." She rolled off of me and to the side, snatching a piece of chocolate on her way.

"Ravish him." Her shaped eyebrows perked up and she smiled wickedly. "Show him who's boss."

….

~Touya~

"Uh…uh….OH!" I rasped, feeling the warmth, the long hot rod plowing into my backside as N held my hips, moving them up and down and grunting, cussing, hissing my name while I pulled his long hair harshly.

"Yo—You know h—how long…" I shivered, arching my back as he pulled out swiftly and tossed me rather ruthlessly on my side. "I've wanted this."

Snarling he latched onto my neck, curling his wet tongue against my flesh and nibbling, sucking lovingly and pulling my leg back up to stretch the tight hole that hadn't been touched in over two years.

N and I had sex at one point… only once just before I challenged the pokemon league, which was only a few days before our final battle when he left me to die on Team Plasma's ground. And the crazy thing was that even though this all happened two years ago, my body seemed to remember N as if it were yesterday. Naturally I welcomed him into me, taking it like a puzzle piece that was meant to fit. So smoothly, so eagerly, so quickly… we were together, connected, whole again.

N shifted over, his drooling rod swiping me in the side and leaving a trail of hot precum across my stomach.

"Blackie… Fu—fuck…" N huffed, pulling himself over me and kneeling across my chest. "Open your mouth." He instructed as the head of his lovely cock probed my cheek.

"Mmmn." I moaned softly, taking it between my lips and sucking rhythmically, my tongue lapping at the skin as he slowly pulled in and out.

"I—I haven't had sex… Since…. You." N shuddered, a thick rolling wave of ecstasy rippling across his muscles as he tossed his head back and let out a strangled shriek.

I missed this… shit I missed him… I missed him so much.

So much my head couldn't even think straight.

"Cum on." I popped my lips on his dick tightly to look up at him, a small trickle of drool slithering out the corner of my mouth. "Come on N."

He restrained himself from releasing all over my face, holding back the feelings until he could shift down a little ways, pulling my legs apart and replanting the brilliant stock between them. I whimpered in wonderful pain as he pushed back, reaching that special little button inside of me, nice and slowly so not to set it off—not yet.

"Come with me." N curled his body over mine, holding me as his pelvis began to rock again, thrusting harder and harder until a continuous slap was sounded. "Re- Ready?" he grit his teeth.

I was swimming with pleasure, mouth agape in a silent wail as my lover, once again reunited, plowed past the feelings of loss, regret, pain, sadness, loneliness… all the way to a heightened reunite. This was it. This was our forever.

We had so much to talk about and yet there was nothing to say…

I let out a strangled wail as he filled me to the rim and then some, activating my own beautiful orgasm that was so harsh my eyes actually rolled back into my head.

….and then some….


	29. Chapter 29

~Kyouhei~

I just needed to clear my head…. More than anything I needed to let my mind have some peace and the only way I knew how to do that was to swim. I needed the sand, the waves, and the salt.

So I wound up asking for directions and taking the straight shot through route five and over the Driftveil Bridge so that I could dwell on the freezing rocky shore nearby their town. It was already five in the morning or so when I showed up, and I had already been receiving dirty looks for being in my pajamas—how was I supposed to know people in gloomy-vill got up before the sun did? I wound up leaving my pokedex and my clothes tucked away in a rocky cliff side and swimming bare ass naked out into the middle of the ocean where peaceful jellyfish pokemon wrapped there tentacles around my feet and lifted me from my mindset.

I was a strong swimmer and could tread water for hours on end without feeling any strain, so this was mere floating for me—a gentle escape from reality with the sunrise bursting over my head and the breeze blowing my hair back.

Hyuu was probably worried sick… and my brother was probably wondering where I had been—I would bet my ass he had called me at some point between now and midnight last night when he began sucking tongues with that weirdo.

N had explained very little to me, but I was under the impression that whoever my brother had told me about before—the one that left him two years ago, was N and that thinking he was a girl was a sad mistake on my part. I also knew that it was anything but coincidence when N found me very "similar" to Touya. The whole reason he touched me when we first met—that harsh way he had grabbed my face with his large hand—it was because he saw my brother. He had been chasing after a similar feature this whole time and my brother was damn lucky I showed up in the right spot at the right time.

My brother… who I used to be so close to… was now even further away from where I thought he was. I thought that at the very least Touya and I had a chance of being close brothers again when I came to Unova to live with him, but now I realized that it was all just a big lie. I was never going to have my brother back—I was alone. He had spread his wings and left the nest while I tried to fly and went hurtling into the ground. And then when I finally got back up to the nest again I realized that he was gone and never coming back.

I was so tired of people changing in this world… I was so unbelievably tired it hurt me. Physically like the icy water chilling me to the bone, I felt weak, unaware and afraid. I felt as if a part of me had been taken and thrown away.

Sighing I pulled my hand to my chest and examined the gentle sharpedo tooth sitting there. My brother said it would make me strong… and even if he was right, he didn't say that that giving it up would make him weak. Suddenly it felt as though if he hadn't given me this necklace so long ago it wouldn't be a matter of difference between us anymore. Touya needed it more than I did—he had fallen in love. He had gone and done one of the weakest things possible.

Sitting slightly above the sharpedo tooth on my neck was a small pearl I had found on my own the morning after my brother left for Unova in the first place—leaving me along on the island. This also happened to be the morning I met Kukui, since we had both been diving, and we both noticed the pearl at the same time. I had only reached it before her, and upon this disappointment she, being a docile creature, politely gestured for me to give it to her. Well I had given her the pearl on that morning, but she had taken one look at it and realized that it wasn't what she expected, and wound up giving it back to me.

Till this day I didn't know what Kukui was expecting out of that pearl, but I knew that from then on me and her had been the best for friends. She had taken the hole my brother left in my heart and filled it just a fraction of an amount. She had been the sunlight in a very dark time and this pearl was representation of that. Like the Sharpedo tooth it sat proudly around my neck, never coming off, bracing the ocean as I did in times like this.

Times when I needed some closure. Times when I needed to feel wild water pokemon swimming around me, and not a care in the world could make it any better. Times when I needed to close my eyes and imagine that I was on Mintonga again with my brother and the sun rising over our heads while we waited for a wave to break.

I needed all the time in the world to reach this special place in my heart however, and I just didn't have it. I had to make my way back to the cliffside I left my things at and then I had to haul ass back to Nimbasa so that I could pick my pokemon up from the pokemon center, and then finally try and get some sleep.

The only problem with that was that… I hadn't a clue what to say to Hyuu once I got back to Nimbasa. Though it felt like a million years away, I knew that only a night had gone by since Hyuu "confessed" his "love" for me, which I was still convinced was a load of BS, and that going back that… he would still be there waiting for me as always. My bag was in that hotel room as well, so I didn't have a choice but to go back to him.

The problem was… would I stay with him? This journey would be a lot harder without him as a guide around Unova… and I knew that I would probably never reach my goal of getting to Undella Town… but at the same time I couldn't stand the thought of him being in love with me.

Hyuu was better than that… I thought Hyuu was going to be my friend that believed in the same things as me. I was under the impression he disliked romance and love and anything of the sort just as I did… but no… sadly enough he had fallen under the spell as my brother did.

Hyuu was just another weak soul in this world. Even Kukui had taken to these ways, falling in love with Alec—how could she?

She was my best friend and she had even lost her sightline. She strayed from the path of coherency in which love did not cross. She had taken that wrong turn that my mom, my brother, and now Hyuu had.

Swimming back to shore was a rather miserable experience since ships kept blowing waves my way and sucking me further back into the dark ocean depths. And like I said before, I was a strong swimming, so it wasn't as if it physically hurt me… it just annoyed me. It was as if the world was trying to piss me off and make things worse.

Eventually however I made it back to the cliff where no one on the shore could point and gasp at my naked body—people were so weird in this region, it was just a body. I sat for a while, letting the sun dry me until I could put my pajamas (they were all I had) back on and start picking my way back up and over until I reached the city again. I held my brothers pokedex tightly, debating on whether or not to flip it open and reveal the insides to myself again. It seemed like it might make me feel further from my brother… but at the same time common sense told me otherwise.

I began at the beginning, starting with the many pictures of my brothers Serperior as it grew up over their course of training, and slowly reading all the entries. One by one I examined the pictures my brother took and the notes he had saved. The entries and the little things—all down to how he won his victories over certain pokemon.

I didn't feel any closer though…

Scrubbing my hand across my eyes I grit my teeth and shoved the thing back into my pocket. I felt further and further away from Touya because there was just so much he had experienced that I hadn't. He had moved on without me…

I realized now that Touya just didn't need me.

But I still needed him.

….

~Hyuu~

"What am I supposed to do…" I whispered to myself, shuffling down the hotel hallway after suffering a violent loss from Elesa, the electric gym trainer.

Upon a night without sleep and no returning Kyouhei I decided to channel my anger through a battle with Elesa to try and make something good happen from all of this—except nothing happened and I lost miserably, sending both Alec and Pidove to the Pokemon center in critical condition. It was stupid of me to believe that Pidove could handle those kinds of electric attacks at all… but when Alec, who I truly believed had a chance, fell I hadn't any other choice. My options were limited as far as I could see, since I only had two pokemon and both of them were weak to electric attacks.

The nurse even told me that I should know better than to send a water and a flying pokemon up against Elesa; and then when I tried to explain myself she shook her head and walked away—as if it were my fault.

Well the truth was written across my face—this was all my fault and I knew now that chances weren't always worth taking. That damn fortune cookie was wrong and I was wrong to think that I had a chance. Now I knew how Rosa felt when she was up against a wall against Team Plasma in the sewers of Castalia, or how Kyouhei felt when Huko fainted after battling Roxie. This was my first real loss…

Well not the first…but the first in a very long time. Being that the last time I ever lost any kind of battle was when Team Plasma stole the Purloin that was a gift to my little sister from me.

Lately I had been thinking a lot about that little pokemon that was stolen… and where it might be today and how it might be doing. Did it escape when Team Plasma was destroyed by the great Black? Did it find a new owner? Did it die in Team Plasma's grasp?

I couldn't begin to count the endless possibilities and scenarios for that little pokemon, but I hoped wherever it was today it was happy and healthy. I hoped it knew that I tried my hardest to protect it, but I failed and let Plasma take it on accident—I never meant to lose something so precious to my little sister.

I hadn't meant to lose this battle against Elesa either… but I had and I felt like a complete failure because of it. Even more than just someone who lost a battle, I felt like I had lost something greater than that—my pride.

Alec still couldn't evolve, I couldn't get Kyouhei off my mind and focus, Pidove was still pretty much useless… things weren't looking good for us.

Dilapidated I slipped the card key into the hotel room door and opened it, my eyes down at the shabby print carpeting and the off white wall color that resembled an old unfertilized egg. I sauntered forward, shoulders slumping stiffly as I prepared to flop down on the cold bed that was too big for one person again, and admit defeat.

Glancing sideways though I jolted back, surprised to see that Kyouhei's bag, which he left last night, had been moved. Frantic now and thinking I missed his return—and my chance to apologize—I reverted around, prepared to storm down to the front desk and ask if anyone had seen a foreign looking island boy with a tattoo on his shoulder and freckles on his cheeks.

"Hyuu?" A familiar voice stopped me though, weak and hiding beneath a mass of untidy blankets left on the furthest bed in this hotel room—the bed that Kyouhei initially was going to sleep in.

"K—Kyouhei?" I murmured in surprise. "Y—You came back?"

He let out a low groan and a cough, sounding rather defeated as he looked towards the window where the curtains were wide open—you would think if he wasn't feelings well he would have them closed so it was dark.

More than that though, I couldn't believe my eyes when he turned towards me, mouth parted slightly in a plea for… a very uncertain help.

"I—I think I'm sick." He sounded strangled.

"K—Kyouhei where did you go?" I hurried over to his side, careful as he looked away, slightly unsure as if he would welcome my hand touching his forehead. Lizzie had been sick with fever plenty of times before, and I was always the one to get her medicine for it, or make her feel better in general—but Kyouhei was surely not as accepting as my little sister.

"To Driftveil." He perched his chapped lips. "I—I couldn't… I had to get away."

"Do you have a fever?" I wasn't about to admit how awkward I felt being in the same room as him, let alone touching his face after the argument we had about my confession… but it was nice to have a distraction from my loss back at the gym. At least with him here I wasn't thinking about how much I wished he was here.

Something in his eyes however… told me that much more happened last night than just an argument and a trip to Driftveil.

Kyouhei shrugged off my question as I pressed my clammy hand to the side of his face. He did manage to flinch just a little, which made me sad, but I ignored it. He was burning up.

"You have a fever." I shook my head slightly, blinking as he coughed.

"I never get sick."

"You just said you thought you were sick." I commented, brushing a lock of his hair back behind his ear.

"Stop doing that." He grumbled. "Don't touch me."

Frowning I pulled away. "Listen Kyouhei, I'm sorry about what I said last night…and I'm sorry if it upset you…so if it's ok then can we just forget about it?"

"You can bet I will forget about it." Kyouhei sniffed. "I'll forget about it and act like nothing happened… but you can't act like you like me either."

"Bu—But… Kyou… I…do."

"No you don't. You just think you do."

I sighed. "Arguing isn't good for you when you are sick… I'll get you some Advil. I always have some with me."

I stood, moving from the bedside and away from him to wear I left my backpack on the chair against the desk. My mother taught me when I was very young that it was a good idea to keep pain killers and Advil or some form of ibuprofen with you at all times. This was one of the many things she taught me whilst her parenting techniques weren't always ideal, it was useful in situations like this.

"One or two?" I murmured, uncapping the bottle.

"Huh?"

"Do you want one or two?" I turned and looked over my shoulder at him. "You probably should take one, since you don't weigh that much… but you really are hot."

"I don't take pain killers." Kyouhei turned on his other side again, facing away from me.

"Not the time to be stubborn Kyouhei." I shook my head. "These will take the fever away. Don't you want that?"

He grunted, knowing that he did want his fever to go away, but not wanting to admit it because he was just that kind of person. He would argue his point until point was made and he wouldn't accept anyone else's two cents unless it was something worth his while. Sometimes I really wondered why I was in love with him…

Without an answer I slipped two pills from the bottle and cupped them in my hand to give to him. There was a water bottle in the small refrigerator in the room as well, and I knew that he would take to it eagerly if his throat was bugging him—by the way he coughed it sounded like it was. I grabbed it before sitting back beside him on the bed.

"Swallow these."

He glared at the two tiny pills in my hand. "Cant I chew them?"

"Not unless you want to taste something like poison in your mouth." I put the pills in his hand gently and nudged the water bottle at him. "You just swallow them whole, it's easy. Drink it with water."

He turned his milky brown eyes up at me suspiciously before looking away again, at the pills in his hand and the bottle against his side. There was a slightly tremble in the way he moved, telling me that he was cold, which bothered me more than it should.

My mother always said that a fever wasn't dangerous until you started shaking—and then it was time to take action and get some medicine. Of course that was her tough ass telling me to suck it up when she didn't want to deal with things like going to the pharmacy in the middle of the night while I was sick—which is another reason I ended up caring for Lizzie when she was sick.

"Do you need more blankets?" I asked him, fighting the urge to reach forward again and touch him on the cheek.

"No."

"Yeah you do." I smiled ever so slightly at him—a sad smile. "Don't act tough."

"I—I'm fine." He insisted. "You don't have to act like I'm dying."

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my temper while I just wanted to yell at him and tell him not to be stupid so he wouldn't get even more sick.

"Fine." I grumbled, shifting down to lay on my stomach beside him. "Then I'll keep you warm myself."

"Fuck off." He hissed, his fingers shaking as he uncapped the bottle of water and tossed the pills into his mouth—he flooded them quickly but I could see him struggling to swallow at first.

"I don't want you to get worse." I said rather coldly myself—was that regret in my voice? I felt as if this was just my shallow way at getting back at him for leaving me last night when I poured my heart out to him.

"Stop caring about me." He insisted. "It's not going to work."

"What's not going to work?" My voice seemed to grow, suddenly pushing on a slight bit of rage dwelling in the middle of my heart. The fact that I lost against Elisa so badly, and the fact that no matter how hard I tried Kyouhei still didn't seem to want me or need me in any sense. Glaring I scooted closer to him.

"Get away from me." He, shaking like a leaf from chills and the cool water in this throat, bared his teeth. "I'll leave."

"No you won't." I threatened. "You will lay here with me until you get warm and then I will let you recover on your own."

The anger in his eyes was far worse than I imagined it could be in a moment like this—but somehow it only made me feel worse and more determined to get my way with this.

He couldn't just leave me last night because of what I said, then come back because he was sick, and expect me not to want to take care of him—it was the lease he could do to let me.

Kyouhei budged, trying to throw the blankets off but finding that I was already holding onto him, my arm wrapped around his back so that his slender chest was pressed up against mine.

"Get used to it." I pushed my forehead against the top of his head. "You can't just use me whenever you feel like it—who do you think I am?"

"You don't understand." Kyouhei looked away hatefully.

"Because you won't let me." I crushed him to my chest tighter. "So for now you will have to settle for understanding me."

"That doesn't even m—make sense." Kyouhei growled.

"Kyouhei…"

He didn't answer me, but rather hid his face now, hating that the chills stopped while he was pressed up against my warmer body.

"Kyouhei I love you." I pushed my face into his shoulder. "I know you don't believe it, and you don't want me to be in love, but it's happened and that's that. So the sooner you can get over it the better, right?"

"I don't agree with that." He averted his eyes away from mine as I took a long deep breath against his collar bone.

"Not yet." I countered. "Now shh… go to sleep."

"I can't sleep with you—

"Now Kyouhei." I insisted, feeling more forceful than ever before—all because I was butthurt about last night.

With a grunt the island boy closed his eyes and tucked his face against my chest. "Fuck you."

Heart throbbing with rejection I kissed his temple.


	30. Chapter 30

~Touya~

Twelve hours of sleeping and waking up religiously every two hours or so for another round of... what he had been missing out on.

To put things simply… N was a floodgate. And I was standing in the way of it. Time and time again taking the heat because being abstinent for the last two years was rather… hard to forget about. It felt as though he had to make up for lost time through the night, and over a span of twelve hours or so N and I had sex more than we actually slept—but neither of us were bothered. We had been alone for far too long to let sleep take us away from each other.

"N?" I swallowed the remaining salty taste in my mouth, waking up at midday and blinking my eyes open—my stomach instantly felt as if it had been turned from the inside out, and it snarled with warning—too much of a good thing inside of me. I needed real food to counteract the… umm… liquids swimming in me.

"Blackie Baby." The loving, soft voice came from across the bed where the window was closest. N stood looking out of it, a towel around his waist and his long flowing honeydew colored hair looking forest green with moisture. He must have just gotten out of the shower.

"There is a girl outside… and she's just… standing there." He mused. "As if she is waiting for someone."

I moaned softly, a peaceful noise in the back of my throat. "Oh well. Come over here and kiss me."

It seemed as if I couldn't get enough of N no matter what state of mind I was in—there was just too many feelings swirling around inside of me. I didn't want to comprehend that N had been gone for two years, and I didn't want to ask him what in the world he was thinking when he sent me letters with no return address—all I wanted to know was that he was here with me now and it was all over.

Two years of being alone and he was finally back… by my side and loving me with every ounce of his human being. I smile, blushing softly as if I were a young teen feeling love for the first time, and sighing as N came to be, bending over and kissing my head affectionately. My cheeks, my temples, the tip of my nose, and finally my lips.

"Are you feeling ok?" N wondered, seeing as how my eyes glossed over with emotion.

I nodded, wrapping my hands around his shoulders and hugging him to me, though too lazy to lift myself from the bed—I knew that when it tried to stand I would suffer from anal pain. My backside already felt obliterated and I hadn't tried to move yet.

"Hmm." N nuzzled me softly. "Touya… I was just thinking… there is… so much that happened in the last two years…"

I shook my head. "I don't care. Honestly N, I just… don't want to think about it."

"What if someone is still out looking for me?" He whispered. "What if I put you in danger?"

"No. No. Don't even think like that." I insisted. "We're better together. N…"

He looked away, unable to meet the truth in my eyes—I knew he was only thinking about what was best for me, but I couldn't stand the idea of him leaving again.

"I love you." I touched his face gently, my voice sweet enough to cause diabetes. "But I will castrate you if you ever leave me again."

He let out a soft sigh, pushing another kiss to my head. "Point made my love~ I won't leave…"

"Never." I insisted, letting him go so that he could head back to the bathroom and get changed.

Even just a short distance from the bed to the bathroom door felt like a million miles away, and as he walked my heart throbbed with longing to feel his skin on mine—his breath and warmth against me. I smiled, some odd smile caught between appreciation and hurt and love—a lot of love—as he shut the door.

And then my cellphone was going off from somewhere… making me snap out of my thought process and bring forth the idea of getting up again. My ass hurt just thinking about it… but the ring sounded urgent in a way that I knew I had to answer it—no one called me unless it was important because they knew I wouldn't answer if they called more than that. I wasn't fond of telephones or technology beyond that of a simple pokegear.

Groaning and cursing I pushed myself out of bed, receiving a curious "are you ok?" beyond the bathroom door where N cracked it open to peek at me. Trying to walk but ending up reaching with just my foot I stayed on the bed, barely pulling the trousers over to me in time to answer the call as it rang finally. I also happened to catch the time as it showed on the illuminated screen—just passed two in the afternoon.

"H—hello?" I grit my teeth as I spoke, flinching at the way my body trembled, trying to recover from the wonderful assaults last night.

"Hello? Is this Touya?"

"Yeah, who the hell are you?"

"It's me Hyuu!" the voice became familiar suddenly as panic started to trickle in. "And Kyouhei is sick. I—I think maybe the medicine he took made him more ill. He just had a fever…"

"Kyouhei?" I shook my head in confusion for a split second, coming to terms with the fact that N was listening through the bathroom door—I missed the whole second half of what Hyuu said.

"You're brother is sick!" He barked.

Fuck—Kyouhei, my brother. Feeling absolutely mortified with myself I panicked. How could I forget (if only for a split second) that I had a bother? What the hell was wrong with me?

"Ok, well how bad is he? What does he have?"

"He just had a fever before, but then he took Advil and he got very ill—he's been throwing up."

"How much did he take?" I bent painfully to pick up my clothes from the floor.

"Two capsules."

That wasn't that much… Kyouhei shouldn't be ill from that, but maybe his body wasn't used to medicines at all… he was on the island much longer than I was—and no one ever got sick on the island.

"Alright, just relax, where are you guys staying?"

"The hotel beside the pokemon center. Room two sixty one." Hyuu answered immediately.

There was a short pause as I realized that I was on the floor just above them, in room three sixty one. My heart thudded inwardly. "Did you happen to hear people having sex all night long?"

"Umm… what?"

"Nothing. Nothing." I shook my head. "I'll be there in just a few minutes."

"Ok." Hyuu hung up quickly after that, leaving me to feel like absolute shit because upon finding N again, Kyouhei had been wiped from my brain completely. I hadn't even seen him yesterday when N and I reunited below the ferrishwheel… I had been too focused on N. Kyouhei… he was… sick…

"N!" I called pitifully, forcing myself to stand. "My brother's friend just called. Kyouhei is sick, I need to go see what's wrong."

"The poor babe?" N opened the bathroom door in concern.

I didn't want to know why my brother was going to call Kyouhei "poor babe" but I didn't have time to argue with him either.

"I'm going down to the second floor. Room two sixty one."

"I'll come with you." N came over to me, pulling his hair back into a tight band and stuffing it into a hat on his head—pieces fell about messily, but he seemed to transform into a totally difference person like this.

Struggling to pull my pants on I nodded, guilt ebbing at my insides.

For two years I forgot I had a brother… and now that N was back…

Was I really going to forget about Kyouhei again?

….

~Kyouhei~

"I'm ok Kukui… Really." I coughed, limp over the bathtub edge as my pokemon watched in concern. Kukui had never seen me terribly sick like this before; she had never really seen me sick at all actually, and I knew that she was worried by the way her ears kept flicking nervously.

"Are you sure?" Hyuu, who sat on the counter watching me in despair, was biting his nails. "You really look horrible."

"Shut up Hyuu." I rasped, still furious at him for trying to keep my warm in bed earlier. He had no right to touch me or hold me or love me. He had no right to do anything that concerned me.

"What do you want me to do? Not care? Do you want me to leave you alone and forget all about this? Do you want me to act as if you aren't puking your guts out right now?"

"Yes." I laid my cheek on the cold bathtub side and shivered. "I want you to not care."

"You're cruel." He folded his arms across his chest and looked away. "I've never met someone who hates having people care about him like you do. Tell me Kyouhei, what is so wrong with people caring about you?"

"Caring is one thing." I sniffed, my head swimming with dizziness and pain. "I care about Kukui. I care about my brother. But love is a whole different thing."

He looked down at me degradingly, challenging my statement. "So you don't love Kukui?"

The turtle pokemon stiffened at my side, her ears slowing and stopping and flattening against her head as she placed her small webbed hand on my back and looked up at me pleadingly.

"No." I closed my eyes. "I don't love anyone. Love isn't even a real emotion. Love only causes pain… I care about her a lot; I would do anything for her. But I don't love her."

Her face twisted into something along the lines of hurt and betrayal, and I didn't understand as she took her hand away from me and backed up.

"Kukui?" I looked over my shoulder as she turned and fled from the bathroom, throwing open the bathroom door and letting it slam very harshly against the wall. My insides hurt.

Why was she mad at me? Love was something that was cruel, not me. Love only ever hurt people! Kukui should be happy I didn't love her because that would mean that I would hurt her. Be it right now or twenty years from now, Kukui would end up hurt because at some point love has to end—everything has to end.

"Ky—Kyouhei!" Hyuu snarled, suddenly angrier and louder than I had ever heard him before. I actually jumped in surprise, turning and looking up at him—I trembled slightly.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Hyuu started yelling, his voice reaching an octave I couldn't have imagined coming from his mouth. He jumped down from the counter, hands curling into fists. "You heartless bitch! You just hurt her feelings! She's risked her life for you and that's how you repay her? You fucking throw it back in her face?!"

"B—Bu—

"YOU'RE FUCKING CRUEL KYOUHEI! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY ANYONE CARES ABOUT YOU!"

My legs, my arms, my hands, everything seemed to stiffen with fright as Hyuu also left the bathroom, this time slamming the door shut so hard that the towel rack on the wall rattled and I could feel the aftershock in the vibrations through the floor. There was a soft, broken sob from the other side, and then the sound of shuffling—Hyuu was gathering his things.

Tears swelling in my eyes and a lump rising in my throat I heard the hotel room door slam.

Just like that Hyuu was gone.


	31. Chapter 31

~Hyuu~

I couldn't stand it anymore… the fact that no matter what I did or no matter how hard I tried or how forceful I was I couldn't win. There was nothing I could do to make Kyouhei like me in a sense, and I was beginning to come to terms with the cold hard truth in know that you just couldn't make someone like him fall in love with you. You couldn't make anyone fall with you… even if it's all you wanted—even more than taking away all the pain in the world or going back in time and stopping Team Plasma from taking my little sister's purloin. No matter what area of grief or trauma or hate I was feeling, none was as great as the way it felt to be rejected over and over again.

Kyouhei couldn't stand me… and I didn't know what to do other than to run away and continue on this journey myself. Kyouhei… he could find his own way around, or get a map, or ask for directions, or go crawl back to Aspertia and live with his brother again never to see the real world or become a real trainer.

Hugging Alec to my chest I walked, quickly out of the city towards Driftveil where I knew I could get stronger by challenging Clay—his pokemon were weak against water types, which meant that I could power up Alec even more before coming back to challenge Elisa. I could also get some training with Pidove along the way and… maybe even catch another pokemon if it felt right.

Battling on my own though… leaving Kyouhei and having no one to look after or try and protect was really harmful to my spirit. I was lonely by nature, having always grown up with someone to look after, it didn't feel right to be alone. No one was there to look after me… well that was fine. But the idea of not taking care of someone else made me feel empty. I felt like I wasn't doing anything right.

I felt as if my heart had taken a dive off a steep cliff and landed in a cold ocean only then to be drowned and dragged out to sea where no one could ever find me. And all I could think was… well I had to do it.

I didn't want to leave Kyouhei, but after seeing him hurt Kukui's feelings like he did… I felt like I didn't have a choice. He needed to realize what rejection felt like, and I needed to cut the cord from him if I was ever going to become stronger. I needed… get over him. I needed to move on and try and be the best I could be because there was nothing else going for me with Kyouhei.

I hoped Kukui would forgive him for what he said… and I hoped that Touya got to the hotel room soon—I called him only a moment before our big argument.

At least I could say that I didn't abandon him with no one… I called his brother who would look after him, so I couldn't feel bad about that.

Rubbing my eyes free of moisture I walked, averting my eyes from curious trainers on the bridge to Driftveil—I could see that they all wanted to ask for a battle, but decided not to because of my distressed appearance.

"I'm sorry I had to take you away from Kukui." I murmured to Alec as he slumped against my shoulder. "I—I wish there was a way that you guys could be together without Kyouhei and I being together. This isn't a punishment to you."

Alec simply sighed against me, nodding because it was ok and… I knew that lately Alec hadn't been as close to Kukui because of their evolution differences. She had grown without him and though she didn't treat him differently, it hurt his ego enough to make him weary. I knew the feeling… Alec felt like he wasn't good enough for Kukui.

And I surely wasn't good enough for Kyouhei—he had made that quite clear.

"Hey sweetheart!"

I stopped, raising my head and pulling my eyes up to where I saw two strange looking guys before me, one cackling a harsh smokers laugh, and the other fighting off a nervous giggle.

"Yeah you princess~ What's the matter, you're mommy forget to do your laundry?" the louder one, dressed nearly in all black scanned my dirty, travel scarred appearance with a look of mockery. "Or did you just realize that that puny pokemon of yours can't get you anywhere?"

Heart rising in my throat made me fume—these people could pick on me all they wanted, but no one insults my pokemon.

"Osh!" Alec barked, his small whiskered muzzle twitching with annoyance. It wasn't his fault he couldn't evolve… it wasn't anyone's fault because no one knew what was causing it.

The two men, the one in black and the other in a metallic silvery uniform, laughed together, though I noticed their belts were pokeball-less and that meant that a real battle wasn't going to be happening.

"Go on you grunt." The one in black shoved the other. "Have a little fun! Why don't you take that trainer's pokemon? It's not doing him any good—look at him!"

The one in grey shifted awkwardly. "No no. Cmon man, you know I don't steal pokemon anymore."

I could feel eyes of many various trainers flickering in my direction. A battle a little ways off between a Leavanny and some other foreign pokemon subsided, as the two broke apart and fled to their trainers sides to watch the scene before them. Whispers started to arise, and I could feel my teeth grinding slowly together.

Was this what I was subject to? Torment in public? Wasn't I tormented enough in the last few days? Furious I felt rage climbing in my stomach up through my chest, these fools didn't even have pokemon to battle with, and yet they talked of stealing mine? Who did they think they were?

"C'mon on man." The black one shoved the grunt this time, a little harder than necessary. "He's practically begging to have his pokemon stolen."

Fuming I stepped forward, finding that I was eye level with the taller one dressed in black, and before I could think about my actions thoroughly I was curling my hand into a fist, raising that fist, and slamming it into his jaw as hard as I could.

Gasps broke out in unison among the crowd as the antagonizing man crumpled to the ground, eyes lolling back into his head while my hand stung—there was a small trail of his drool across my knuckles.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?" I dropped on top of the man, blood boiling in my veins and making me shake. My fists curled around his collar and I shook his limp form mercilessly. "WAKE UP FUCKER!"

This wasn't like me….

"I SAID WAKE UP!"

I wasn't a violent person—I was just… so hurt and lost after everything I had been through. I had so much steam to blow off and this person just happened to be in the wrong place and the right time.

His eyes lolled back to place then as a small trickle of blood formed upon his lip, heading south to his chin where it gathered and pooled before spilling over his jaw. I bared my teeth in fury and pulled my arm back again, this time cracking my knuckles on his nose. His head fell sideways in defeat, limp again, only to receive another hit to his left cheek bone—blood seeped between a sharp split and onto my hands.

Panting I got up, off the man in black and faced the crowd as they all held their mouths open in awe. Younger kids hiding behind their mothers, young teenage trainers staring in a sort of wonder and appreciation, and elderly people that didn't deserve to have their even walk along the bridge be disturbed. Wild Swanna and Ducklets that were being fed along the railings stopped eating their bread crumbs and stared at me, ruffling their feathers ready to flee.

The grunt in grey seemed to stop, his head twisting around and his grey eyes wide with worry as the crowds eyed him suspiciously—he made no move to appeal to them though, only stood staring down at the man who also antagonized him to steal my pokemon. There was a sort of love hate in his eyes, and I knew just my looking that they were friends despite their differences.

Silence came and went in a flash as my face fell and my hands unclenched. Alec stood at my side, holding my pantleg and shaking very harshly. I could feel the way his little paw trembled around the material. He made a soft grunting noise, almost like a cough but more strangles and willing.

"O—Owt!" He bent over as if he was in pain, his fur standing on end and then—to my utter amazement—flickering with white light.

He looked as if he had just jumped out of the water, and his sleek waterproof fur was glimmering in the sun. All anger aside I stared in amazement.

He curled over, released my pantleg and held his stomach as if he were going to be sick, but rather let out another dignified wail, still shaking—nearly vibrating it was so rash. The glowing was bright, painful in my eyes but so beautiful I couldn't comprehend it.

Alec…

He was evolving.

Under the eyes of many curious pedestrians and trainers on this bridge, and beside the knocked out form of a bloody man in black and a scared man in grey, Alec was evolving. He grew a great length, mimicking the height that Kukui reached when she evolved—and then some. A fringe of fur gathered in a cowlick behind his pointed ears and fell in a sharp mohawk like pattern down his skull. His paws became large but coordinated flippers, thought edged with razor nails as he pushed up off the ground again and stood.

A low, dog-like growl escaped his throat. It was as if he went through puberty in all of a second, transforming from just a baby into this strong young pokemon with healthy lean muscles. His shoulders grew out, his neck thickened with fur and flesh, and his snubby snout from before became slightly more pointed—lined with nubby teeth and a pair of slanted fans.

However the most amazing part of the transformation had to be the brilliant, long tail that he sprouted. It hung heavily on the ground, thick and meaty and covered in short oily black fur. It was… rippling with power, ready to flatten its foes or whip them by the looks of it—was that even normal?

I had never seen a real Dewott in person before, but I was under the impression that they had shorter, flatter tails like those of a bidoof. Not the long, lean tail that Alec had. Was it a deformity? It looked like it, but somehow I couldn't bring myself to mind.

"A—Alec?" I bent slowly, my hands still shaking as my pokemon greeted his new body with wide eyes.

A small ripple of amusement broke out from somewhere in the crowd—and I looked in the direction only to find that Rosa, my dearest childhood friend was coming forward. She clapped her hands eagerly, starting a ripple across the others watching.

Alec and I looked around in wonder as Rosa brought hope to us.

"Yeah buddy!" She planted a hand on my head and ruffled my hair harshly. "Look at you, decking a team Plasma member like that! Hell Hyuu, I think I might be attracted to you right now."

"G—Gah! Stop." I pulled away from her vicious hand as the crowd started to disperse and go back to what they were doing before my attack.

"Hyuu you little shit." Rosa squatted beside me, amused and appreciating Alec's new form almost as much as I was. "I can't believe it…. And after all this time."

I could feel short and sweet tears swimming in the rims of my eyes, and I sniffed them away in a flash, blinking and rubbing my cheeks as Rosa peered at me.

"Hyuu…"

"I—I'm happy." I stated, looking at Alec and then at Rosa again. "I—I just Kyouhei was here to see it."

…

~Kyouhei~

Seven hours later and well into the night I felt a little better, after my brother came and apologized for things I didn't understand—like how he didn't see me the other day when he came to find N, but really I had run away as soon as I saw them make eye contact. I didn't want to see my brother and all his "love" for that weird ass green bean of a man.

Anyways, it was only later then did Touya leave with his "lover" and I realized that I had so much making up to do it wasn't even healthy.

My head still hurt and my stomach was in no mood for eating, but I was able enough to find the strength to at least talk.

"Kukui…" I said, sitting cross legged on the hotel room bed. She had shelled herself up underneath it for the day, not listening to me when I begged her previously to come out. Hyuu was right… she was hurt and I had to fix that. I had to come to a compromise in my head, somehow to make her realize that caring strongly for her was better than "loving" her, because it meant she would never get hurt.

"Kukui please… let me talk to you." I murmured, waiting until finally I heard her shuffling about under there.

There was a pause as she hesitated by the edge of the bed and I could see the fur of her ears sticking out slightly.

"Please… Kukui…" I repeated. "I'm sorry…"

Slowly my pokemon came out, standing and stretching her arms from having been cooped up in her shell all afternoon. She turned, sorrow-faced to look at me, but made no attempt to get up on the bed like I hoped she would.

I sighed, pushing my feet off the edge of the bed and leaning down to pick her up—she made a soft grunting noise as I did so, but didn't struggle. I pulled her into my lap and wrapped my arms around her.

"I'm sorry… Kukui I—I'm not good at this sort of thing. It's a poor excuse… and I know I hurt your feelings… But—but what do you want me to say? Do you want me to say I love you?"

She looked down, her cat like eyes narrowing slightly.

"Kukui… everyone I know that loves… gets hurt. I don't want you to get hurt… and I don't want to get hurt."

Glaring now she looked up at me, pulling her arm back from where it was caught in me hugging her, and then to my shock, landing a hard webbed slap on my cheek.

I flinched back, blinking at her sudden anger and then her even more sudden downfall as she slumped into me, hiding her face against my throat and wrapping her arms around my neck. She hugged me tightly.

"Warr…"

I bit my lip, ignoring the sting of her slap and knowing that she only did it because she was so upset over what I said.

But more than that I couldn't bring myself to understand her motives. How could she be upset about me not loving her unless…

"Kukui…" I brushed her furry ears back. "D—Do you love me?"

She pulled back, raising an eyebrow at me as if I was crazy.

"You don't, so how come you are mad that I don't love you?"

A low groan rose in her throat as she shook her head no at me.

"You don't love me?"

She shook her head no furiously.

"You do?"

She nodded, her pale blue eyes flashing as she bent in for another hug.

I didn't understand… how could she love me? It wasn't as if pokemon and people were compatible anyways… Or was it the kind of love that Touya had for me? He had told me he loved me before, and though I only knew it as "brotherly" love, I never quite understood it. Kukui wasn't my brother though, she was my pokemon—my partner and my best friend. So how could she love me? I knew for a fact it wasn't love like how Hyuu felt. Or love like my father and mother felt before they got divorced. Or how Touya felt about N.

Kukui was a whole different species of love and… I was afraid of it. I was afraid of the kind of pain it could cause because I knew it was so strong. I knew she would risk her life for me—and even worse than that I knew that I would risk my life for her.

Was that what love was? The honest ability to say that you would risk your life for someone? I felt a sudden shift in my head as I came to realize that no matter what kind of love they all had that in common. I loved my pokemon because I would risk my life for her. And I… though I never realized it until now, loved my brother because I would risk my life for him.

I felt as if I just reached a crossroads in my life and picked the right way to go—for once in my life. I pulled Kukui close to me, hating this feeling in my chest.

Would pokemon and trainer love have the same kind of effects that romantic love had? I had never seen a trainer and pokemon get hurt for loving one another before… but at the same time I never knew that it was possible to form those kinds of bonds.

"Worr?" Kukui pulled back looking at me, confused by the sudden realization in my eyes.

"Kukui I—I do love you." The words felt foreign on my tongue. I had never told anyone that I loved them before… not even Touya when he used to say he loved me. Of course he hadn't said that to me in a very long time.

She smiled up at me, blinking with a sort of relief as she heard the truth in my words.

I was just happy that I made a connection… something to relate my feelings to.

Love = I would die for them.

Simple as that.


	32. Chapter 32

~Hyuu~

Driftveil should be called Lameveil because there is absolutely no reason to live here unless you are lame. It's cold, its dreary, its painfully grey in color, and no one seems to want to talk to you about anything. The lack of beauty throughout the city was painful, and the lack of people being social was even worse. I swear, Rosa and I looked like total outcasts just because we seemed to share more than a couple words with each other—despite the words being upsetting and dreary like the city itself since she wanted to know what happened between Kyouhei and I.

I told her everything though. From my confession to Kyouhei to him getting sick to the next argument that sent me packing and across the bridge. She witnessed my rage, Alec's evolution, and then was there to let me break down while she—of all things—laughed. She said I must have a vagina because I was the biggest chick she knew, and despite that being a rather rude comment, I knew she was right—I was such a chick it wasn't even funny.

"I don't want to be gay." I whined to myself as Rosa and I ran on the treadmills in the far corner of a public gym. Alec and her massive Serperior were sparring in the corner, and to my excitement Alec was actually fairing quite well against the bigger grass type.

"Then don't be gay." She flipped her hair back as her neck muscles and tight shoulders rippled with strength. She had always been a toned girl—sporty and powerful, but I was actually appreciating the view this time around. It encouraged me to work harder—I turned the treadmill up a notch.

"Do I have a choice? I thought this was something I was born with?"

"Oh come on Hyuu. It's not like—like you are gay for anyone but Kyouhei—the little shit." She huffed, fighting with the knot of hair she had curled up on her head. "You were straight before he came along."

"I had no sexuality before him." I disagreed, knowing that love had never so much as crossed my mind before I met Kyouhei—that night I saw him walking out of the ocean like a phantom under the moon.

"Ha!" Rosa threw her head back and laughed. "You were so into me."

"I was not!" I screwed up my face at her. Never once had I even considered liking Rosa as anything more than my annoying best friend. I glared at her as she ran—graceful and powerful with her long legs. Even if she wasn't the most ugly person to look at in the world…

"You are checking me out right now." She flicked her wrist. "What is it? My boobs? Do you like how they bounce when I run?"

I looked away in repulsion. "Yeah two heavy sacs, that's attractive."

"You're just jealous you don't have a pair—then maybe Kyouhei would like you."

Gritting my teeth I pulled the plug on the treadmill, letting it come to a quick halt.

"He—hey!" Rosa called after me as I got down and headed towards the weights sections of the gym—she may be able to run further and longer than me, but I was certainly able to lift more. I had always been rather strong in the shoulders and arms. Without even trying puberty had treated me well with the gift of biceps and thick stomach muscle.

"I was just kidding!"

"I know!" I yelled back, only to receive a rude shoosh from a person on a bike a few paces away—they were listening to their own music and trying to concentrate, but more or less than that I was surprised to see that it wasn't the stranger I expected to be barking orders at me—it was the gym leader Cheren, from Aspertia.

"Cheren?" I walked over to him in surprise, thinking that it was weird to see him in anything but a button up shirt and a tie, let alone a white tanktop and a pair of summer shorts. He looked like a totally different person than the stuck up gym leader everyone thought he was—even his hair was clipped back out of his eyes.

"What do you wa-? Oh… Oh you are that boy from Aspertia." He plucked his headphones from his ears and slowed the bike to a stop. "Sorry I didn't recognize you—behind all that noise you were making."

"Sorry…" I muttered, unsure as to why it was so important to be quiet in a gym. "What are you doing here in Driftveil?"

He leaned over the front of the machine with a heavy breath, trying to let his chest recover—he sounded as if he might have asthma. "I—I was under the impression that the new World Tournament building was finished, buts still under construction. Which is a shame because many of the gym leaders from all around the world came to see it."

"World Tournament?" I folded my arms curiously. "I've never heard of that."

"They were supposed to make a huge announcement when it opened to the public, but… recently there was this spell of cold weather that came through over the mountain—it stopped construction there because it froze all the pipes. And Twist mountain is all messed up too."

"Really?" I blinked, thinking that the only weather I had noticed lately was warm summer air—kind of humid as well. "That's strange…"

"Well something is surely going on… But it's nothing vital." Cheren agreed, getting up off the bike and stretching his shoulders. "How is your training going?"

I stalled, unsure if it was a good idea to lie and say that things were going great, or tell the truth about how much my training was altered by my feelings. Surely things were going well… I had only suffered one gym loss and Alec finally evolved, but it wasn't as if I had any suitable partner to fall back on besides Alec—Pidove was still trailing behind.

"It's… ok." I shrugged. "I wouldn't say great like—I turned and gestured to Rosa who was zoning out on her treadmill— my friend Rosa's. She already has a Serperior."

Cheren nodded appreciatively towards the corner of the gym where our pokemon were still sparring, though Alec looked to be growing tired quickly. "That one over there?"

I nodded. "And my Dewott, who only just evolved yesterday."

Cheren made a noise as if he was unamused. "Well… it's not the most impressive pokemon I've ever seen."

"Mine?" I frowned.

"No. Your friends Serperior. Its large, but it doesn't look as if it knows how to use its body very well, whereas your Dewott seems to know exactly where to put its feet at the right time."

My heart swelled with a certain delight I hadn't seen in a while—that was a compliment I wasn't used to hearing. Though Alec was strong and worthy of a partner, he hadn't been complimented much, making me think that to anyone else he was just an average pokemon—it was good to know someone could see his potential like I did.

"Thanks." I smiled—the first real smile on my face in the last three days.

"Hmm… Well it's nice to know someone is taking their time training." Cheren mused. "When I left on my journey all I cared about was the idea of moving on. I couldn't become champion fast enough, and I realize now that it was that rashness that made me lose my chance at becoming champion of Unova to begin with… So while I see strength and growth in that Serperior, I see experience and knowledge in your Dewott, and those traits are often more important in the long run."

I stood, appreciating the knowledge and experience in Cheren's own voice as he explained how he felt as a young trainer. It was refreshing to know that someone like him—one of the most intelligent gym leaders in all of Unova—had once been a rash young trainer like Rosa or myself. I wasn't even sure what to say about it, I was just kind of happy.

"Yeah well… were you-?" Cheren pointed towards the weight room. "Going to lift weights?"

"Yeah."

"Spot me?"

Glancing back at Rosa I could see that she wasn't paying any attention to me at all. "Sure." I said to Cheren, turning to move in the direction of the room. "But…"

"But?" Cheren cocked his eyebrow up at me skeptically—though I could see it was a friendly gesture.

"I wouldn't mind hearing more about when you were a trainer…" I suggested cheekily.

He shot me a wicked smirk. "Alright. I'll start from the beginning."

…..

~Kyouhei~

_"Are you ready?"_ the echo of some high pitched, auto-tuned vocalist yelled from the immense speakers in the ceiling and—to my surprise—throughout the floor. They were pumping with bass, almost as loud as it was in Roxie's gym, but to say the least, a little bit better organized. There wasn't a harsh or rash set of drums slapping around, or a guitar that was threatening to break strings, but rather a hasty melody of high glitz and glam.

I hated it. Like most loud or hoity things.

What was with these gym leaders anyways? It was as if they had a serious lack of actually gym and a ridiculous overflowing amount of annoying gadgets and distractions going on. Couldn't we just get to the point already?

"Welcome~" A soft, but at the same time bustlingly loud voice came over a microphone, slowing the music as the lights dimmed and stopped flailing about the runway I was supposed to walk on. "My dearest trainer~ Are you ready?"

The lights gathered in a heap on the woman standing atop the runway before me, her huge fur coat trembling as she prepared to fling the thing off and reveal her bits to the world before her—was she a nude model? I wasn't sure but her legs were bare and what I could see of her chest was exposed, and… I blinked a little uncoordinatedly.

Something told me—like a naughty voice in the back of my head—that this wasn't the same kind of bias nudity that I saw on Mintonga Island growing up… this was something else completely. Some level of attraction that I didn't exactly understand. It was as if she was making faces at me just to get me all wound up. I scowled, unsure of this feeling in the pit of my stomach—something I rarely ever felt that reminded me of being sick the other day.

I glared at the model before me as she slipped her fur coat off her shoulders and batted her long fake eyelashes. They seemed to spark with golden glitter.

"My lovely trainer, you have- spot light!" she pointed to me, seeming to throw a beam across the runway until it landed on me. "The most… precious freckles. And… you are so familiar."

I flinched, hiding my eyes behind my lids and reaching for my belt for a pokeball—Hageshi, who I hoped would fair nicely against her electric pokemon. Kukui was a water type, and though she was skilled with her ice attacks, would still be weak to all of Elisa's pokemon. Huko would be a fair opponent, but at the same time I wanted him as back up if something went wrong with my vicious water snake.

"You probably know my brother." I shook my head.

"Hmm?" The model silenced her crowd with a flick of her wrist. "And who is he?"

"Tou—I mean… Unova's hero… He goes by Black."

Elisa's, had she been a dog pokemon, would have had her ears perk up with excitement at the name. She pulled a sleek finger across her tender lips, smearing a line of pink gloss away from her teeth and then grinning hugely—the same kind of fake grin that everyone seemed to have here in Unova.

"Dearest Black." Elisa mused. "He never mentioned having a little brother. Look at you~ I can see… you have got a hell of a lot more uniqueness; have you considered modeling?"

"No." I said instantly. "But I would like to consider battling with you. If you are done analyzing me."

She grinned that smile again and flipped her hands around as her fur coat fell off a little further, revealing more of her. To my relief I could see tiny straps hanging to her shoulders for dear life—at least she had something on.

"I'm done, but… perhaps my crowd would like a close up?" she turned, gesturing to the screen behind her were a collection of the modeling shoots came up. Some pictures were downright raunchy, while others seemed wholesome and sweet. I watched, ready to cover my eyes if necessary, only to find that it changed suddenly, going to static and then of all things my own face.

"Look at you." Elisa chirped like a Chatot. "You look so much like your brother from far away, and then close up you see there is so much more. Look at your freckles. And there is red in your brown hair. And you have the most delicious thick eyelashes. Oh honey… I see where the Black family gave all its beauty—and I thought your brother was good looking!"

I didn't know how to react upon compliments like this, so I just settled on trying not to scowl because there was no reason for it. She wasn't insulting me, and she wasn't harming me, so I shouldn't be upset, however… it felt a little weird to think she might be idolizing my features. I didn't like it. And I didn't come here for compliments—I came here for a battle.

The crowed applauded softly in agreement to Elisa and her dazzling but dull words.

"Y—yeah ok but can we battle? I want to get a badge." I held Hageshi's pokeball in my hand eagerly, pushing the thing up so that it could be seen on the big screen—it flashed when the light hit it.

"You much like your brother…" She sighed as if somehow two years was a much longer time than it sounded. She looked at me as if I was nostalgic somehow. "Yes my dear. We can battle…But I warn you, I'm pretty good!"

I nodded once, stepping back as she tossed the fur coat completely aside and pulled a pokeball from a tiny belt around her waist—the ball capsules looked even smaller than the standard too.

Elisa was just tiny all around, I decided as I braced myself for her announcer.

_ARE YOU READY?_ The music blared again.

"Emolga!" Elisa cried, her microphone screeching with energy—so much that sparks started to fly up and around everywhere.

I grit my teeth and threw my pokeball forward, hoping that this wouldn't end up as dramatic as my first gym battle. Except… something strange was gnawing at my sides.

It was as if I remembered to forget something, or maybe my heart was doing it accidentally on purpose.

Hageshi broke from the ball and let out a bone-chilling hiss as the small electric rodent glided down gracefully to the runway battlefield.

Something was missing inside of me. Something that suddenly made me want to give up and forfeit the match this instant and save myself from loss and regret later. I realized… despite my pokemon I felt alone. Utterly and pitifully alone.

Hageshi rose, a ball of acid forming in his throat just as he has practiced a while ago in the desert before Hyuu and I entered Nimbasa.

My heart let out an unsteady beat as I realized that after this battle I… I didn't know what to do. I had no one to go back to… I… had lost my escort—no.

"Hageshi! Poison fang!" I ordered as a ball of electricity went up and lit the area with blaring white light.

I had lost my Hyuu… my only real friend.


	33. Chapter 33

~Hyuu~

One bench press after another Cheren told me all about how he set off on his pokemon journey around Unoca two years ago, side by side his mutual friend, his unruly neighbor and—to my utter surprise—childhood crush.

Bianca was his mutual friend, having been the oldest and the most… watered down as he called it, friend on the street. Bianca was the first in Nuvema Town, born and bred under the caring hands of her hair-brained (stupid blond) mother, and her over-protective father that apparently wanted Cheren to marry Bianca at one point. But that wasn't Cheren's path. Cheren's love path was to defined elsewhere, among the newer people on the street.

Touko came next, moving in with her lonely mother (who was also her best friend) and enjoying the scene as was. Touko had high hopes of becoming the best and Cheren, who also had these hopes, felt as if this was something that they had in common—something they could bond over. At the time Cheren was a short, barely hitting puberty but still interested in girls, age, and he found Touko to be both the most beautiful and the most admirable person he had ever met. He loved her first, though it wasn't as if a twelve year old new was love was at all… that's just what he said.

As the years dragged on things seemed to grow between the three friends on the street, and Cheren told me that nothing could have been better. He said that it was perfect, they all were excited about getting pokemon and going on their journeys, and becoming the people they were today—however.

A week before they were to pick these pokemon from Juniper, a new face showed up on the block. This was Touya… Kyouhei's loving older brother.

Cheren said he was an outcast at first, that no one especially liked him—except Bianca who thought he was cute (but that was because Bianca thought everyone new was cute). No one quite enjoyed the perfect sun freckles on his cheeks, or the island light in his eyes. No one appreciated the thick luring accent behind his words. In simple terms… no one understood him.

I found this very hard to believe considering everything about Touya to them was everything about Kyouhei that I loved, but I listened to Cheren go on anyways, not questioning him.

Cheren told me how over the week before getting their pokemon, Touya's freckles faded and he lost his accent, adjusting quickly to the Unova way of life and trying to fit in. And it worked too—differences aside Touko, Bianca, and Cheren realized that he was just another teen in need of a journey.

They got their pokemon. Touko has a Tepig, Cheren had a Tepig, Touya had a Snivy, and Bianca had an Oshawott. Cheren shook his head and laughed when he told me this, saying the only reason he chose Tepig in the first place was because he still had a wild crush on Touko, and thought mayber their pokemon could breed one day and somehow spread love through their trainers too—only to find out that female Tepig's were very rare and that Cheren had basically no chance of that dream coming true.

Despite it though Cheren found his pick to suit him well, and he and Tepig grew very close—much like Kyouhei and Huko did. Cheren said he was eager and willing to learn just like he was, so it made for a good pair. However Cheren was also one to catch many pokemon along the way, and what started as his partner ended up being his rock because his main partner turned into a determined Lilipup, and Tepig turned into his power-house.

Cheren said it was ok to change your main partner if things felt right with another pokemon—but I disagreed and said I could never replace Alec. He warned me not to let love for other pokemon slip in the way of that then, and I laughed because… the only other pokemon I caught was a Pidove I felt sorry for.

Anyways, the story goes on and Cheren starts to realize that no matter how hard he tries for Touko's attention it just isn't happening. So what he ends up doing is closing his world off from her completely and looking at a new, brighter sun in his horizon.

Touya.

My heart skipped a beat as Cheren confessed his love for the young trainer, even way before he was champion of Unova—the great Black. He fell in love with Touya and… despite thinking that this could be something avoidable like what he had done with Touko, he ended up realizing that he had never loved the unruly trainer anyways.

Touko was his childhood reassurance that he wasn't gay—because apparently every time he looked at Bianca he flinched with repulsion, and after Touya came along he couldn't stop staring at him. Thus Touko ended up his cover up and… the sort of lock on the closet door he was afraid to come out of.

I wished I could make it better for Cheren… I wished I could tell him just how much I knew how he felt—but I only sort of had the feeling.

Cheren kept his secret from Touya for two years, every day through their journey seeing Touya and knowing that they could not be together. He told me that… Touya fell in love with someone else, someone mysterious with a lot of power… someone that Cheren highly disapproved of, but in the end allowed Touya to love because it was "for the better".

Cheren refused to tell me who this mysterious and powerful person was despite me wanting to know so badly—how could Cheren give Touya up like that? Especially to someone who Cheren said was dangerous?

Cheren wouldn't answer my questions here… all he said was that if it came down to your own selfish love, or the fate of the whole region—what would you do?

I didn't understand, but suddenly I knew that Touya's legend was more than just a story of strength and skill. It was a love story. Touya didn't become the champion because he was the strongest trainer in Unova (a damn good one of course), he became the champion because he fell in love. Love had saved Unova…

But it had crushed Cheren.

Suddenly this hard-shelled Aspertia gym leader was shed in a new light, and what I thought was the story I knew was something remarkably different.

I told Cheren that… if it came down to letting Kyouhei fall in love to save Unova, or us being in love I would be selfish and want us to be in love. And Cheren said that it went further than that—he said that Touya WANTED to be in love with this other person.

And it got my thinking. If Kyouhei fell in love with someone else… regardless of saving Unova or not, would I have the strength to accept that? Would I love him enough to let him go?

Teary eyed I agreed and said that if it was Kyouhei's best interest then yes, I would let him go.

Cheren was the strongest trainer I had ever met… not because he was an excellent gym leader, or because he played a part in the great journey that Touya Black went on, but because he had the strength to let go. Cheren was… my idol, I realized by the end of his story.

I went to sleep peacefully that night after talking with him as well, knowing that even though things were cold and bleak on my end of the stick, it wasn't nearly as bad as how Cheren had it. I found comfort in knowing that Kyouhei ONLY didn't love me, and now didn't love me and ALSO loved someone else. At the very least I would take him not loving anyone… because if he fell for someone else I knew that things could be much worse.

That night I dreamt of Touya—or was it Kyouhei? I wasn't sure… all I knew was that a beautiful island boy stood before me holding out his hand as if he were an angle to pull me back up on my feet. He was monumental in my dream—either Touya or Kyouhei—and he made light and aid look so heavenly that I took his foreign hand and accepted the offer.

And then the face changed. It sort of… molted from the freckled island beauty before me, into a… Unovan man with years of emotions in his eyes. Cheren had taken my hand in that dream and pulled me back up onto my feet—a symbol of what he had done for me during the day.

My heart went out to the misguided gym leader.

He didn't deserve that kind of pain…

He was lonely…

…

~Kyouhei~

"Hageshi~" I crooned, rubbing the sleek scaled on my snake pokemon's head—he was so much more mellow now than when I first caught him. "Thank you."

The large snake raised his thick head and swiped a forked tongue across my cheek—making me think he was either going to eat me as a snack or accept my praise. I pushed my face into his jaw, sighing—we had come so close to defeat against Elisa, and while Huko had done a phenomenal job against the Zebstrika she sent out, he wasn't enough for the other emolga afterwards. I sent out Hageshi again, for the second time in the battle, and he managed to pull in another win.

I was beginning to think that Hageshi was going to be a very valuable member to my team. Like Kukui and her honest leadership qualities and her tactful attacks, Hageshi also had strong points. He had blind fury, which was either a good or a bad thing in battle (my guess was depending on the opponent) and he had a wicked poisonous bite that could affect even the strongest of pokemon.

I scrubbed my fingers against his large head lovingly as we sat in the summer sun under a shade tree in the park—Kukui in my lap and—Huko?

"Huko?" I looked around, seeing that he was around the opposite side of the tree, arms folded angrily. He was breathing heavily, as his strength had only just been restored from the pokemon center. He snorted a puff of smoke out of his nostrils, refusing to look at me.

"Hey…" I pushed Hageshi's nose away softly, leaning around and plucking the thick, heavy fire pig from the floor. I dragged him over to me, giving Kukui a nudge that said to move. She jumped down in understanding and let Huko have the spot.

"What's wrong buddy." I rubbed Huko's ears. "You did great too."

He sighed, glancing at Hageshi—who I noticed glared back at him.

"Are you jealous?" I wondered.

He looked down, snorting.

"Come on." I nudged him. "Don't be jealous. You are just as good as any of my other partners."

I saw Kukui roll her eyes out of the corner of my eyes—she knew that was a lie. She thought she was my favorite and I hated to admit it… but she was right.

That didn't mean that Huko wasn't still important though.

"Look how far you have come." I suggested, pulling out my brother's pokedex from my back pocket and flipping it open. I scrolled quickly through the pokemon until I found Tepig.

"See it? Just a little thing." I clicked to the next entry. "And this is you." I went to the next. "And this."

His eyes widened at the sight of Emboar—one of the strongest fire pokemon in all of Unova.

"This is what you get to be. So… don't quit on me now!"

Huko gave me a rough little nudge, though I could see humor sparkling in his eyes.

"You will be so impressive." I smiled slightly. "Hyuu will be so jealous to—

My heart sank, slipping beneath the amusement and the happiness of just winning another badge. Hyuu…

Huko, Kukui, and Hageshi looked over at me in confusion, all their eyes turning down slightly. Only Kukui knew what happened between me and Hyuu, and I could see by the look on her face that she thought it was her fault—the argument had been over her after all.

But it wasn't her fault. It was… mine and Hyuu's fault I guess.

"Well… I'm sure we will see Hyuu again someday." I covered up the sadness swelling in my chest—since when had I grown so used to having Hyuu around? "And… w—when we do he will be jealous."

Huko, who was the most naïve out of the three pokemon on my team, snorted in agreement, happy to know that he had a powerful form to take in the future. Hageshi looked rather displeased by the whole thing—and I thought he may still be planning to eat me. And Kukui… she just looked sad.

"Do you miss Alec?" I wondered, reaching over to ruffle her furry ears. She closed her eyes, trying to look strong for my sake, but failing miserably.

With a soft sigh she nodded.


	34. Chapter 34

~Hyuu~

"Hyuu!" A sudden jolt hit me hard in the side of the head as Rosa flung a shoe across the room at me. "Get up! Something's going on!"

"Wha—Huh?" I raised my head, though groggy from the fluffy warmth of blankets all around me—it has gotten cold late last night for some reason, and while I had no desire to camp out like Rosa suggested, I convinced her to get a hotel room with me. However when I said with me I didn't mean in the same room as me—luckily we had different beds because she kicked like a Rapidash in her sleep.

"Hyuu there is something wrong!" Rosa yelled, turning and grabbing the blanket over my head. She yanked it off—revealing all 6'1 of me and sending a shiver up my spine. I had fallen asleep in just a pair of boxers last night, having been too tired to get fully dressed after taking a shower. And even now laying in bed I could feel how achy my body was.

"What the hell." I flipped around, pain searing through my muscles from the workout yesterday.

"Hyuu… correct me if I'm wrong… but… its...summer right?"

"Go back to bed." I croaked, stuffing my face into the pillow—how early was it anywyas? The sun looked to have just gotten up over the horizon now.

"Come on you little shit!" Rosa turned, slapping my shoulder harshly. "This is serious! Hyuu it's snowing! And I can see… Hyuu people are running towards the docks. Something is wrong."

"You're delusional." I rubbed the red handprint forming on my pale skin.

"It could be Team Plasma. Come on we got to go!"

Groaning she started yanking me from the bed by my feet, ignoring my protests and clinging to the mattress as she forced me to meet the cold—I could feel my nipples perking at the thought of it. Surely enough though, the air itself seemed to reverberate this frost air, and with a quick glance out the window I saw that she was right, little snow flurries were twirling along our window sill.

"What the…" I blinked, suddenly feel wide awake—people were rushing about heading towards the docks.

"Come on!" Rosa snarled, yanking her pajama top off and replacing it with a bra and the only long sleeve shirt she owned.

"Hey!" I shielded my eyes from her sudden flash attack—this wasn't the first time she had done this to me before considering we grew up together, however it was the first time in a long time and I didn't appreciate the view. What was so attractive about boobs? I still couldn't figure it out…

"Oh shut up and close your eyes if you are worried." She snapped. "Or get up and get dressed yourself."

I snorted once, pushing myself up off the bed and poking Alec along the way. He had fallen asleep at the foot of the bed last night and I could see that he was shivering now because of the cold and lack of blankets.

"Come on buddy. We've got to go."

Rosa made a noise in the back of her throat as she ignored my kindness to my pokemon (not that she was mean to hers) and began pinning her hair up high on her head.

"Owwt." Alec barked stubbornly, being about as enthusiastic about this whole thing as I was. At least he didn't have to figure out what to wear this early in the morning.

I began rummaging through my bag, blinking and shivering slightly. "Rosa did you wake Kyouhei?"

"Umm…"

I blinked back the sudden realization, my heart taking a step off steep ledge that only morning grogginess could bring. That's right… I remembered with a sudden heavy weight on my heart. I had run out on Kyouhei two days ago…

"Nevermind." I choked as Rosa snapped her fingers at me.

"Oh Hyuu, I'm sorry but you need to get your mind away from your heart."

I flinched at the words, ignoring her averting eyes as I pulled on a shirt and a pair of jeans—I hadn't even gotten the chance to piss yet and she was ushering me about as if it was life or death. I didn't need this. I had no concern with team Plasma anymore…

I felt her slender hand grip my shoulder—the same one she slapped only a moment ago. "Hyuu…" She waited until I turned to look at her. "You're heart is your worst enemy… And… Kyouhei's gone."

I grit my teeth, letting my chin fall so that I didn't have to meet her dark brown gaze—sometimes Rosa was just too logical for anyone's good.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered, and to my complete shock, pressed a tiny kiss to my left cheek—making me jolt back.

I was about to say something—to make some sort of dumbfounded remark and ask her what that was for—but she had already turned and grabbed her things from the floor.

"Let's go." She stated calmly, opening the hotel room door.

…..

~Touya~

"Mmmn…" I was in the midst of getting a back massage when a sudden jolt to my phone came, vibrating and intensifying the lovely strain on my crotch—the typical longing for N as it was.

We had come back to Aspertia together just the other day, and with a slight jet lag we ended up sleeping early and getting up early—only to give each other massages that I couldn't help but think would end up as early morning sex. The tension was high in the warm muggy summer air, and I could feel N lingering upon my hips—still slightly sore from the last two days of… liberating each other.

"Who is that?" I mused, reaching into my sweats pocket and plucking the thing out swiftly. I was anticipating Touko to show up on the screen, since I hadn't called her back since she sent me a demanded text saying to call her when I could three days ago. She probably still wanted to tell me about that little diamond ring sittin' pretty in her finger, which I was fine with… just not while N was rubbing me.

Leave it to her to call me this early in the morning too—she knew I would answer just because I would want to yell at her for waking me up. I was prepared to do that too, until I realized that the name on the screen wasn't who I was expecting.

It was Cheren. And Cheren very rarely called me—he only ever texts me or showed up at my door. The faint memory of him sticking his tongue in my mouth made me shiver and swallow harshly.

"Who is that?" N kissed the shell of my ear, leaning over my so that his hips fall ever so softly across my lower back.

"Cheren… you remember Cheren?" I waved him away and answered, knowing that Cheren wouldn't call me unless it was an emergency.

"Hey?" I tried to keep the sex-lull out of my voice.

"Touya? I—I'm sorry to bother you but something is going on in Driftveil. It's snowing."

"Snowing?" N repeated in confusion.

"What?" I said to Cheren, about to ask how that was possible when suddenly his voice struck up again.

"Touya—w—who was that?" he demanded, and I could see his thin sleek eyebrows rising through the phone.

"Th—the television." I pushed N's face away as he reached over trying to snatch the phone from me. I grunted softly.

"Blackie, tell him." N growled against the nape of my neck, baring his teeth and scraping them where it was tender—I couldn't help but yelp softly.

"T—Touya." Cheren sounded like he was going to be sick. "I—Is that…?"

"N—No! Cheren!" I gasped, only to be hung up on by a solemn dial tone.

"Blackie…" N pushed my wrist down and the phone away from my ear—he flipped me over like pancake in one swoop, suddenly looking down at me with pure utter sex in his emerald eyes. "Why didn't you tell him?"

I swallowed as N leant in and kissed my eyelids—so soft as if it were a butterfree wing, waiting for my answer.

I didn't have the heart to tell him that I was worried about how much it would hurt Cheren to know that I had finally been reunited with the one person that I loved more than anything else in the world…

The one person that drove a stake between us…

…..

~Kyouhei~

"I—I'll call him once we get to Driftveil." I stated to Kukui, though more to myself as we cross the last portion of the bridge leading into the dreary city I had been once before—swimming in their frigid ocean only to get sick. It felt like a bad omen to be back here in Driftveil, no matter how much I knew I needed to move on before I stuttered to a stop completely and lost my drive to be a trainer. I had just gotten my badge yesterday, and even though I had walked through the night—and somehow the dropping snow—I felt as though it had been a millions years away. I was losing steam quickly and I wasn't sure if it was lack of sleep now at this point, or worse… lack of friendship.

Sure I had Kukui and my other two pokemon, who were keeping me rational on this journey, but… I had to admit that they couldn't fill the need for human companionship. Talking to a pokemon was only a step above talking to yourself because they couldn't respond back in a language we understood. Sure their voice was easy to understand—you knew when they sympathized or got angry or happy—but there was no real truth there. It was all just… moral support. Pokemon weren't therapists.

What was I saying though? Was I saying that Hyuu was my therapist? Shaking my head I looked down at Kukui, who was lagging in dedication because she was so tired now as well.

"I'll call him and see if he's anywhere around here… and if he is then I'll ask him to meet us somewhere so you and Alec can see each other."

Kukui only nodded in response—it wasn't the excitement I hoped for… but at the same time I got the feeling she knew there was far more to this little "meeting" I planned than just Alec seeing her.

I needed to apologize to Hyuu… even if he was still mad and hated me for it, I had to tell him that I was wrong about what I said and that I do love Kukui.

The hard part would be telling him that I didn't love him… and that I still wanted to be his friend if we could just go back to way things were. There was no say in how he would react, and I knew I would have to face his hurt for a while if he agreed to just being my friend.

But there was a sad truth in what I would tell him… and the truth was what he needed more than anything right now.

The truth was that I just couldn't love Hyuu like I loved my pokemon—he wasn't my fighting partner and he didn't love me like a brother—thus I wouldn't die for him.

As much as I hated to admit it… I just didn't love Hyuu. I wouldn't risk my life for him—I couldn't.

I tried to picture it… maybe him about to fall off a crumbling cliff—and I saw no scenario in which I would reach over the edge and grab his hand. I would probably flinch back in despair and look away, hoping not to hear his splat when he landed.

If it was Kukui I would be over that edge reaching for her in a heartbeat…

"Am I cruel, Kukui?" I asked with a sigh, my feet dragging on as snowflakes fell about my hair—honestly what the fuck was up with this weather?

Hyuu's words echoed in my head from the day he left me over the bathtub edge. iYou're fucking cruel Kyouhei! I don't even know why anyone cares about you!/i

Kukui patted my leg tiredly, too lost of thought to try and actually comfort me. She was tired… Depressed I closed my mouth and reached into my pocket for my own pokegear—not my brothers for a change.

As we entered the outskirts of Driftveil city, the sun rising higher in the cloudy, snowy sky, I dialed one of the very few numbers in my contact list.


	35. Chapter 35

~Hyuu~

What in the world was going on?

Rosa pushed faster, running—no—sprinting through the crowds with her pokeball in her hand ready to fling into battle at the sight of any Team Plasma members. She was long legged and fast—more so than me who was trailing behind and breathing heavily to keep up. Alec was lithe and skillful in his bounds now that he evolved, and I found it slightly ironic how he was more interested in this fight than I was.

Waves crashed against the docks as people pooled in, silently staring up at the ship standing tall above the shore. A bridge to the land was being guarded by a pair of grunts, though they were unable to hold the line for much longer as both their eyes scanned the crowds coming—it was as if the whole town had flocked to see the event go down.

Team Plasma was being revealed. Again this painful group of rogues from two years ago, were banding together to form something greater—like the ship they sailed their organization suddenly felt a whole lot more massive.

"Serperior!" Rosa let out a caterwaul cry, loud enough to cause some of the bystander in her way to move. I could see now, that not many of these people had pokemon, and even less of the ones that did had pokemon fit for fighting these people.

Snow flaked down in an array as Rosa's enormous snake—almost as big as Hageshi—erupted from the ball, making the old dock screech with weight. It bore its fang proudly, widening its mouth in the same threatening manor it did the very first time Rosa met it. That Serperior had grown fast under Rosa's hand, passing my Alec in almost two evolutions—luckily he evolved to at least catch up a little bit. It was long and lean with hard scales covering its body.

Gasps in the croud rang out, and as they clear I suddenly could see that the grunts in the front of the ship where being harassed by the one and only gym leader of Aspertia—Cheren.

"WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE!?" Cheren demanded, his voice echoing past the crowd into the now empty town. There was a small murmur of insecurity as the grunts took a place back. Cheren threw a pokeball at the chance, releasing what looked to be an overgrown mop.

It was a mighty Stoutland, broad shouldered and mean with a sickening growl in its chest. Cheren pointed a finger at the grunts before him, speaking so softly that only I heard the threat when I got close enough.

"I'll rip your throat out if you don't tell me your motives." He hissed as I approached, Alec leaping up from the ground and landing heavily on my shoulders.

"We'll battle you-!" One grunt reached at his belt for a pokeball, about to call forth an opponent for the obviously stronger Stoutland. Cheren however, didn't give him the chance, and with a snap of his fingers he sent the huge furry dog hurdling forward.

I flinched in horror as the pokemon took the skinny grunt by the leg and shook it hard, like a ragdoll, sending a spatter of blood across the dock and then pinning the thing—a wild attack on a human? What kind of trainer was Cheren?

I remembered our talk in the gym the other day… Cheren hated these Team Plasma people so much it was no wonder he wanted to attack them personally… still… my heart ebbed for the grunt who howled a scream so loud all of Driftveil had to hear it—his leg was torn and mangled under the jaws of such a pokemon.

"I'm NOT playing around." Cheren clenched his jaw as he spoke, then snapping his fingers to retrieve the Stoutland from its chew toy. Fur matter with the grunts leg blood he stopped and trotted over, his small black eyes narrowing at the crowds—daring them to intrude on its trainer's battle.

Breathing heavily the second grunt stepped aside, letting Cheren pass the bridge to the ship—and as soon as he did so he ran to help his partner. A slow sob breaking out of his chest.

W—why did I feel bad for him?

Swallowing and remembering my motive to hate these people—they stole pokemon even my little sisters so many years ago—I walked behind Cheren, unfazed by the Stoutland's growled at me. I touched his shoulder gently.

"Cheren…"

"Come with me." Was all he said before turning and walking back up the bridge to the awaiting ship.

"I'm coming too!" Rosa yelled, running up the docks with her Serperior slithering along behind her—it moved in a sideways position, winding up across the wooden boards as easily as if it were soft sand.

Cheren halted, listening at the entrance to the bow of the ship where a crowd of more grunts were waiting—their eyes on the three of us in terror. It was obvious that they witnessed their fellow grunt get mangled—they heard the sound of his femur snapping under Stoutland's four inch canines.

One by one beams of light started to arise, flashing to reveal a mediocre pokemon. One after another grunts with as many as three or four pokemon each flung their defense at us—though most pokemon looked freshly trainer and scared to approach our three bigger pokemon. Sadly enough they reminded me of Pidove… but that wasn't the point.

"They wanna play dirty…" Rosa reached for another ball at her waist. "I've got one Lil shit that can get in the way of that…"

Cheren shot her a look of disapproval—a look that said this was a serious matter, not a game. And I had to admit he had a point—Rosa looked as if this was going to be some kind of high score she wanted to break. My stomach was churning though.

Was I too compassionate? Was I too easily averted by my heart? Was Rosa right when she said it was my worst enemy? All I knew was that no matter how much I knew these people needed to have revenge bestowed on them, I couldn't bring myself to want to fight them. It was as if I didn't have the heart to harm people—pokemon battles yes, I could take those one after another, but seeing Cheren launch an attack on a person was something totally different. People couldn't defend themselves like pokemon could…

I forced myself to imagine that this was a matter of love, and that if I didn't fight something horrible could happen to say… my little sister… or Kyouhei.

The pity in my stomach turned to hate quickly as I imagined these people wanted to harm the ones I loved—the pokemon they stole, those were all partners that someone loved at one point and probably still loved now.

Rosa may be right, my heart may be my greatest enemy… but it was also my greatest ally. Gritting my teeth I stepped up beside Cheren, flanking his left side as Rosa was on his right.

"Stoutland…" Cheren touched the beast on the thick shoulder. "You know what to do…"

It let out a low snarl, dipping its thick head and then proceeding forward, a creep before the lunge—was this a battle strategy that Cheren was using? Was he trying to harm people and not pokemon?

As if he could hear my thoughts he turned to me, looked me in the eyes sadly, guiltily for just a fraction of a second. "The pokemon are innocent here… not the people…"

Feeling a slow understanding in my chest I nodded, though keeping my eyes averted from the next grunt that fell under Stoutland's jaws.

"He won't kill them…" Cheren said looking up at the approaching herds of grunts—there were so many of them. "He will just disable them…"

"What about their pokemon?" I questioned.

"If they don't have an opponent they won't attack." He murmured.

"Forget that. I came here to battle!" Rosa chirped. "Serperior! That Ratticate there, use Razor leaf!"

The snake sauntered forward, flipping its tail up and unleashing a wave of jagged leaves—only enough to get the Ratticates attention. I watched in dismay as suddenly a whole group of ratticate gathered, bonding into a mass of dusty brown fur and skittering forward. Serperior launched the attacks, one by one disorienting the bunch.

"No! Rosa!" Cheren growled.

"Cheren! Look!" I blinked up at the cabin atop this ship, where higher-ups started to come, over shadowing the grunts and distracting us from battle—only Stoutland kept up with his attack, ignoring the few knifes the grunts pulled on him—they didn't pierce far enough into his fur to damage his skin.

"Oh my…" A commander stepped forward, slipping her hair back. "Cheren… The Aspertia Gym leader… what a pleasant surprise."

Cheren reached for another ball at his waist, only to be stopped by a sudden shadow—a figure literally reaching out and grabbing him. I fell back, Alec slashing out at a grunt that tried to come to close to me—it seemed I was the only one that no one took direct aim at.

"Cheren—No!" I jumped in, trying to grasp the figure—who I now saw was wearing all black but had brilliant stark white hair that was waist length.

"HYUU!" Rosa cried from the other side, she too was being gripped by one of these odd men—hollograms of some sort. They had come out of nowhere!

"You remember the Shadow Triad…" The commander spoke, her eyes lulling deviously. "Still loyal..."

Their eyes flashed with defiance as the commander spoke for them. They were huge… I hadn't a choice but to back up, heart fearful of what these teleporting beings were capable of doing.

Slowly I began to make my way away from the scene—maybe I could slip behind the commander and attack her then when she wasn't looking.

Imagine Kyouhei… Imagine they have Lizzie.

"Still loyal?" Cheren barked like his Stoutland. "Then why are there only two?!"

The commander grinned a furious smile down at the gym leader. "Take those two to the brig."

"Alec, get ready." I whispered, about to command an attack as the commander left her eyes elsewhere. "Read—

Suddenly then all the eyes were on me, piercing grey ones and the harsh makeup lined ones of the commanders. Not to mention the glorious ice blue of the member holding Rosa. Cheren was peering sideways at me, trying to bite the hand that covered his mouth now that he stopped struggling with the Shadow triad member. He had to be over six and a half feet tall—he was enormous, while the one that held Rosa was less and less enthusiastic—and Rosa flailed like an animal watching her Serperior be overrun by all the pokemon the grunts could not command, seeing as though they were trying to fend of Cheren's monstrosity of a pokemon.

My heart sank as my pokegear rang out loud and clear, revealing me from the others. I shivered, smiled sheepishly and reached for my back pocket.

"Ehe… I—I need to take this…"

The huge hand of the third Shadow Triad member gripped my shoulder then, looking behind me. He bent in a flash, his ice cold hands tightening on my collar bone as he spoke directly in my ear then—a voice that didn't fit the appearance of the other two holding onto my friends. I clutched Alec to my chest as my phone rang its final tone.

"My name is Tate…" The Shadow Triad member hissed in my ear. "And you owe me."

Suddenly everything went black.


	36. Chapter 36

~Hyuu~

"C'mon kid. Hey… Get up!"

My head swam with dizziness, far too strong to be anything I could come to from. My stomach was in a knot, my body was warm and sweaty, and my initial thought was that I was going to be cooked alive because there was a particular _ding_ in which I was sure was the sound of an oven going off. House hold items weren't that hard to make out after all—unlike the voice calling to me.

There was a sharp poke to my side that chased away the dizziness in replacement for lulling pain. I coughed once, rolled from my spot—wherever I may be—and my eyes flitted open in a flurry.

What happened to me?

"Huuuhhh." I groaned as wide, dark cherrywood beams split the ceiling above my head. They looked old but sturdy, and with the sudden smell of nutmeg and cinnamon around I was instantly reminded of my grandmother's way out in Sinnoh—I had only been there once but the smell of baking remained imbedded into my head.

"Get up kid." A voice called from somewhere nearby. "You need to leave."

There was a second voice then, scoffing the first before coming over and finding me—it was a girl.

"What's your name?" She mused. "Can you get up?"

I coughed lightly, trying to find my voice as I pushed up against the somewhat soft platform I was on—it was a small divot in the wall where a sort of… lounge area was built. There were pillows around, and a window to the side of me where outside I could see the summer air had returned. Green grass—a pasture by the looks of the grazing Zebstrika—and more or less the most beautiful thing I had seen in a long time.

"Wh—where am I?" I croaked.

The girl blinked at me, a small smirk spreading across her face. "Safe."

"No shit he's safe." We looked over then—both our eyes meeting perhaps the strangest person I had ever seen.

Suddenly everything came flooding back into my mind. The snow, the docks, the ship, Team Plasma, Cheren and Rosa, the Shadow Triad. My heart leapt in my chest as the tall, strong man pierced me with his silver eyes—they flashed in the beams of sun coming through the windows.

"Tate…" The girl standing beside me looked over rather lovingly. "You did the right thing."

He snorted, folding his broad arms across his chest. I had never seen someone look as powerful as him before. His chorded neck muscle, his sleek forearms and tight shoulders. But what got me most was the striking, perfectly spiked and stark white hair that looked windblown on his head. He looked… like no other human being on the planet, and yet I was suddenly so enthralled that I forgot all about him being a member of Team Plasma—part of the Shadow Triad.

"I did a stupid thing." He spoke, waltzing over and turning his eyes on me. "What's your name?"

"H—Hyuu." I looked around, intending to find my backpack or at the very least Alec—only to realize that he wasn't there. "He—Hey where's my pokemon!"

"He's in his ball. Over there." The girl gestured to the center of the room where my things were lying on the couch—Alec's ball indeed sitting there. I touched my belt to find my other pokemon as well were still attached to me.

"And Cheren? And Rosa?" I mused. "A—and what am I doing here anyway?"

A slight pang of anger was rising in my chest was enough to spark the memory of battling on that ship—my friends needed me.

"Cheren and Rosa are fine—it's been a day since the battle you know." Tate said in a low, threatening voice. "They took care of Team Plasma to my surprise—That Cheren… I didn't think he had it in him to be so vicious."

The girl beside me seemed to flinch at the comment—though I had no clue why.

"A—a whole day?" I couldn't wrap my mind around what happened—all I knew was that I was on that ship in Driftviel and then the Shadow Triad came along and… that was it. I recall watching Rosa's Serperior fall, and Cheren's Stoutland rip people's legs apart… the memory of blood and flesh and grunts howling in agony came back to me.

"I'm Touko by the way." The girl beside me stuck her hand out in a friendly gesture—making Tate snort slightly.

"To—Touko?" My mind raced, back to the gym with Cheren the other day—or a few days ago I guess—and stopping in the middle of that story Cheren told.

"You—You grew up with Cheren?" I blinked in awe—not looking the tall, busty woman up and down. She was much prettier than I imagined her to be though I didn't quite understand the attraction still, it was obvious that she was good looking. She had a good body, shaped and rounded with wide hips.

"He—Hey!" Tate backhanded me then, a hard knuckled slap across my nose—his ring catching me unexpectedly.

"Tate!" Touko shouted as I grunted, mulling forward and covering my nose. I could feel the intense heat of blood forming inside my sinuses.

"Stop checking out my fiancé!" Tate snarled. "I saved your sorry ass and you are in my debt! Who do you think you are?"

"I—I'm—fuck. Sorry!" I hissed angrily. "But I wasn't checking anyone out!"

"Liar." Tate clenched his jaw. "You need to leave."

Touko glared at her fiancé as if he had just kicked a puppy. "You're such an asshole."

"Only for you babe." He shot back in a sour voice—the two sparked with tension that I knew went deeper than just aggravation. The sight actually made me feel very small—what a love hate relationship. I could nearly see the violence coming off of their love.

"Gladly." I choked, wiping the blood from my face— I had to call Rosa and find out what happened after the battle, what she was doing now and if Team Plasma was still a threat. I had to… get back on track.

I had gotten so far off track lately it felt as if I was missing something important. I felt as though I had been dunked in the ocean and couldn't come back up for air. I was drowning. And the worst part?

All I knew was that I wanted nothing to do with this anymore. I… I didn't want my friends to get hurt but I didn't want to be a part of this Team Plasma war happening again—shouldn't it be Touya's job to handle it? He was the one that took it into his hands last time. He was the champion. This wasn't even a battle for Rosa and it seemed she was the most determined to make a difference.

Grumbling to myself I slipped past Tate and Touko and wobbled over to the couch where my things were sitting. I could hear them whispering over my shoulder about something, but my mind couldn't grasp it without turning to look at them and even so, I didn't want to be rude and get slapped again—honestly he WAS an asshole.

"Hey Kid…"

I turned then, looking carefully into those silver eyes and avoided the dark ocean gaze of Touko. Tate peered down at me. "What do you even plan on doing?"

I shrugged. "Calling Rosa… and then, going back to training I guess."

Tate nodded at the truth in my words, but said nothing else as he turned back to his fiancé and sat beside her—there was extreme worry in his eyes as he breathed, his leather jacket-enclosed chest rising and falling heavily.

"Oh and Hyuu." Touko spoke. "You're pokegear has been going off for the last day—every few hours. Just so you know…"

"And on your way out, don't go left." Tate leaned back into the pillows in their small divot. "Fallow the path right all the way down—you will end up in one route seven and from there you can so south to Mistralton."

I nodded, digging through my bag to find my pokegear—they were right, I had seven missed calls.

"H—hey." I mused before looking at who called me—it was probably Rosa. The young couple looked up—Tate's eyes suspicious as if he thought I was taking my sweet time leaving. "W—why did you take me here anyway?"

Tate smiled a wicked grin—so full of distaste I wanted to flinch. "Because you wouldn't have lasted fighting Team Plasma."

Touko looked away, not wanting to agree with him but… most likely still agreeing. I frowned, this time feeling a real wave of hurt come over me. Was I that bad of a trainer? I had three badges already…

"Well thanks…" I mumbled, hanging my head and heading towards their front door. I repeated their directions in my head over again. Right down the path to Route seven, then south to Mistralton.

Sluggish and discouraged I looked at my pokegear again—seven missed calls. Lucky me the battery was just about dead too. I wouldn't be able to return any calls until I could make it into town and charge it at a pokemon center.

My heart skipped a beat as I read the names quickly. One from Rosa, and to my shock, six from Kyouhei.

…

"I'm sorry ok!?" I choked on the phone with Rosa, scrubbed exhausted tears from my eyes. "I—I wasn't even thinking… I didn't want to stay there—that guy was so mean."

"That GUY was a member of the shadow triad! You realize how much information you could have gotten out of him! You could have solved a hug piece of my puzzle! You could have helped solve this crisis we are having with Team Plasma! Don't you understand how important this is? Or are you just stupid!?"

I muffled my sobs in Alec's back, trying to hide just how upset this made me. Rosa was… by all means right, I could have gotten a lot of information out of that Shadow Triad member, but at the same time she wasn't understanding that I just wanted to get out of there—for Arceus sake the guy backhanded me in the face! Plus I knew she wouldn't understand if I told her that I didn't want to have any part in fighting team Plasma either—she was under the impression that I was willing to fight them for my sister's long lost purloin, but the truth of the matter was I just didn't have it in me to go one like she did.

I was heartbroken, and like she said before, my heart was my worst enemy.

"I—I'm sorry." I murmured into the phone, trying not to let the peering eyes of people looking at me in the pokemon center harm my ego. It had taken all day to get to Mistralton City and I was about dead on my feet.

Of course none of this hurt as much as the fact that I had gone with Rosa and Cheren, fighting side by side with them only to get this kind of treatment in return. Did Rosa even once stop and think that maybe I was in danger after the Shadow Triad member took me? Lucky for me I wasn't in any danger, and Tate had actually been trying to help, but she didn't know that… She didn't even ask if I was ok when I called her.

Rosa cared more about fighting Team Plasma than she cared about her best friend—that was what made this phone call so hard to deal with.

I wasn't like that. I would let the whole world be overrun for one person I cared about… because I was must more selfish and dishonorable than Rosa. I didn't have her character; I didn't have the ability to set each and every individual as an equal. When I loved someone I put them on a pedestal—and somehow it always got my hurt.

"Use your head next time Hyuu." Rosa sighed, and then hung up without saying a word.

With a sniff I pushed my face into Alec, feeling completely and utterly alone. I couldn't even find the strength to call Kyouhei back when he was had been calling me for the last two days—he was the one that called me while trying to fight Team Plasma in the first place.

But I couldn't talk to him right this moment. I had to… I needed someone I could call and know that they care about me.

Wiping my face again I poked the buttons on my pokegear, flitting through the different contacts until I found my house number—I hadn't called home in a very long time (not that my mother had ever thought to call me).

Breathing evenly I dialed, listened to the ring as it went two or three times, and then the swift pick up.

"Hello?" it wasn't the voice I was expecting—but it sure made me sober up quickly. I swallowed hard and blinked.

"Lizzie?"

"Big Bwuther!" She cheered—and I could see the smile on her face as clear as day in my mind. My heart swelled, and through the pain I was smiling like an idiot. I could feel my lips spreading back across my teeth as I breathed.

"Hey Lizzie girl, how are you doing?"

"Mom!" I heard her yell away from the phone. "It's Hyuu!"

I couldn't hear my mother's reply but knowing that Lizzie was that excited to talk to me made everything feel a little bit better—it was hard to remember that I had an influence to uphold when Lizzie wasn't around me. Suddenly though I could feel all this responsibility seeping back into my veins. The last few days I felt like the one in need of guidance, but hearing Lizzie made me realize just how much she needed me again—I was a huge influence on her.

"Hyuu I miss you." Lizzie said loudly. "When you comin' howm?"

I sniffed. "I don't know when I will be hoome… but I miss you too. Tell mom I miss her."

"Ok…" she agreed, probably nodding determinedly as if I were telling her to keep some big secret form the world—she sounded like she was trying to be strong for me.

"I wuv you." She added after a second. "Mom says she wuvs you too."

I chuckled, another wave of emotion crippling me into tears. I had to bit my lower lip to contain myself.

"I love you guys too." I mumbled. "B—But I have to go now ok? I'll call you again soon."

"Ok! Bye!" she hung up swiftly.

That was what family was for. I knew it and I had been told so many times- that when you needed them most, your family would always be there for you. Though until now it never dawned on me just how much I needed them. Or maybe I just hadn't needed moral support until now. All I knew was that this was something that no amount of friendship could fill. It was a completely different kind of love—just like the way I loved Alec was different from the way I loved Rosa.

And the way I loved both of them was totally different than the way I loved Kyouhei…

Taking another deep, refreshing breath I scrolled through my contacts again.

This time I didn't hesitate when I dialed his number.

…

~Kyouhei~

I had just sank into the bathtub for the first time in two days when I heard the phone ring—which in return had me cussing like a fool because I had been waiting for this call for the last two days as well. My heart snarled as I pushed Kukui out of the way and dried my hands before grabbing my pokegear. I didn't even look at the name before I flicked in on and hit the speaker button—I set it out of the way from bathtub.

"Hyuu?" I said leaning over the edge. Somehow… the sound of his voice made me feel a little more at ease.

"Kyouhei—I—Hey…" he spluttered, and I could hear the noise of people fussing about in the background—it was the opposite of my silent and shabby hotel room for the night.

"Hyuu… I—

I swallowed hard. What had I wanted to say to him? This was… what I planned on saying in person, not what I intended to over the phone.

"I'm sorry." Hyuu spoke first, his voice somehow rising with uncertainty. Did he think I would hang up on him? I didn't intend to because… to be honest with myself it was easier not to be lonely when I could hear his voice—even if it did annoy me sometimes.

"I'm sorry I said those things to you. I—I was just angry. And I'm sorry I left you alone while you were sick—but your brother showed up right?"

"Yeah." My brother and apparently his long lost lover—who was also the guy that Hyuu wanted to get into a fight with over touching my face. I left that part out.

"I'm sorry…"

"Hyuu—I—

I was no good with words to say the least…

There was silence on the end of the line as Hyuu waited for me to say something—was he anticipating my apology as well? I should have apologized to him but… but it just got stuck in my throat and I couldn't breathe evenly. My head was trying to figure out what kind of weak person I would be to tell him I was sorry for my feelings—I never lied about them so how was I wrong? However my heart was… mulling around this feeling of loneliness I couldn't shake.

"I want to see you." I blurted, thinking that somehow that would make up for the apology I couldn't get past my lips. "I—I mean Kukui… wants to see Alec."

I felt a harsh blast of icy cold water against my back for that comment, and I barely managed to restrain myself from squealing. Kukui was glaring at me as if she knew that I was lying. She knew damn well I wanted to see Hyuu just as much as she wanted to see Alec…

"I want to see you too!" Hyuu went on. "Where are you?"

"Driftveil." I hung over the bathtub limp as a ragdoll, trying not to slap myself for being so… so emotional.

"Dammit… I'm in Mistralton. But I'm coming back to Driftveil!" he assured before I could tell him to forget it. "I haven't gotten the badge yet—I haven't even gotten Elisa's badge but… I want to get Clay's first."

"I have to battle Clay too." I said unsure of how to respond to his eagerness.

"I'll be there tomorrow night."

"Ok…"

"For… Kukui and Alec…" He mused, though somehow I could tell that on the other line he was smiling—not the fake smile I hated either. I could see his genuine, real smile filling up his face as he so casually lied to me.

It wasn't that Alec and Kukui didn't want to see each other, no that wasn't it at all, it was just that… Hyuu knew he wanted to see me and he knew I wanted to see him.

"Call me when you get into the city then." I ran a hand through my hair before reaching over, ready to press the end button with my dry hand.

"Ok!" Hyuu sighed. "I'll see you then."

"Bye" I poked the button, a shiver rolling up my spine as I scowled heavily. Grumbling I sank back into the hot bath to my chin.

Kukui—who really was too big now to sit in here with me—lay on my chest to look up at the tile ceiling. We both folded our arms behind our head, and the whole thing seemed all too familiar. We used to lay like this in the ocean back on Mintonga—totally at ease with the world.

I sighed. "Are you happy now?"

She didn't even have to turn over to show me that she was smiling… I could feel it in the way she swished her tail through the bathwater.

We lay there like that for a minute, silent with ourselves and thinking about seeing Hyuu and Alec tomorrow night. It all felt very… cookie cut. Like maybe there needed to be some dispute in the way things were happening—something unexpected.

Suddenly feeling too overwhelmed to stay in the bathtub any more I pushed Kukui off of me and got out—reaching for a towel and wrapping myself in it.

"Waar?" She eyed my hasty movements as if I were doing something wrong.

"It's nothing, you can stay in there as long as you want." I said, reaching down to grab my pokegear.

Swiftly I left the small bathroom, damp and shivering until I managed to squeeze under the tightly tucked hotel room comforter.

I called Hyuu again—without thinking this time, laying the phone on my chest.

"Hello?" the answer was immediate and confused.

I covered my hot face as I spoke. "Tell me about your day."


	37. Chapter 37

~Hyuu~

"Ahh—ahhh.. Mphh." I muffled my voice through the fabric of the hotel room pillow as my hands worked effortlessly at things I should never—no one should ever—have to touch to relieve themselves.

It was well past midnight, Kyouhei and I talked for an hour about what was going on in Driftveil with Team Plasma, and I told him how I had done something stupid in letter the Shadow Triad member save me (without my permission) and then not demand he tell me what was going on. I was stupid for that I admit… but Kyouhei hadn't seemed all that fazed and for once his lackluster attitude had me at ease.

Maybe it was because I hadn't heard his voice in quite a few days… or maybe it was just because I was stressed out about Rosa being mad at me—or maybe it was just because… this was the kind of teenager I was.

To be honest with myself I didn't exactly know what was the reason behind my actions, but I knew that this was something that had to be done before I slept and hopefully dreamt about the way he sounded tonight.

I was seventeen, I was lonely, and I was on the aftershock of talking to the most attractive person I knew after so long of not… so how could I not… relieve myself?

"Kyou-Kyou…" I panted as my right hand worked fast at the fleshy skin around my hard, pumping and brushing and kneading the tip of the swollen member as my left hand—for the first time ever—probed at my backside. Never before had I inserted a finger in myself… but for some reason now I did, and to my utter disgrace I found that I liked it. I… liked it far more than I ever should.

I really was gay. Though this was no secret to me anymore, it was still something I had to get used to because I certainly didn't feel gay. I didn't talk in a gay voice, I didn't walk on my toes, I didn't get emotiona—

Ok so I got a little emotional here and again… but to any normal human being they wouldn't take me as a homosexual. They would look at me and think I was a normal teenage boy with raging hormones for females. However thinking about their bodies made me quiver, and I had to give myself an extra feel-good kind of pump that got my mind back on track.

Kyouhei… he wasn't mad at me for what I said to him, and I wasn't mad at him for the way he felt. Disappointed of course, but not mad. I was actually utterly happy that he was so interested in calling me, that I wouldn't have even needed an apology to forgive him. All I needed was to know that he cared like that.

"K—Kyouhei." I gnawed on my lower lip as I cursed around his name, which seemed to fall from my lips so intimately. If he were here… I would make love to him. I would blow his mind with how much I love him that he would never be able to deny it again—no one could justify me not loving Kyouhei.

I imagined myself dripping, hot with sweat and reeking of Kyouhei's saltwater smell. The ocean waves that could be lapping at us if we were on a beach… the way it would feel to hold him as the night rolled in over our heads. Or maybe in some deserted meadow where cherry blossoms fell and wind blew.

Or in a shabby hotel room with walls so thin the neighbors wouldn't be able to sleep.

"Gyah!" I jolted, biting the pillow I was drooling on and pulling myself in over my head with imagination. I coiled like a spring, body twitching and toes curling into the sheets as an orgasm shook me through the balls, leaping out and spilling over in hot white semen as my ass contracted to the way my finger—even just the tip—felt about my tight hole.

I wasn't even sure what to make of this experience.

All I knew was that it was all Kyouhei's fault.

And that it felt so good.

…

~Rosa~

What a bunch of bullshit this whole mess was.

….

~Touya~

_Tension is in high in Driftveil city as people come to terms with the fact that Team Plasma—disbanded for two years now—has rose again!_

Choking on a spoonful of ice cream I listened to the late night news reports for Unova. It was a program I didn't want often and only when I was desperate for something to keep my attention (right now I didn't want to fall asleep empty armed while N was in the shower).

I nearly flew across the bed, scrambling to the foot of it where I could hear better—I knocked the bowl of ice cream off the bed and all over the floor in the same movement as well, sending the spoon skidding across the hardwoods to a halt right before a pair of dripping feet. My heart leapt in my chest as N strode over, concerned but weary of my obvious distress as I turned up the volume.

_Though no other recent reports have been made about the goals Team Plasma is aiming for, it's obvious that the gang is out to cause mayhem in the hearts of our citizens. Driftviel is living in terror upon what they saw yesterday, and it seems a reoccurring question keeps coming up._

N placed a worried hand on my shoulder.

_Where is our hero?_

My breath caught in my chest as the reporter went on.

_Where is the one we call the Great Black? The one who rose with the great dragon pokemon two years ago and put an end to all this? Where is our protection?!"_

"No…" N huffed, looking at the screen as if it had just punched him in the gut. I could see the clouds of worry lifting in his eyes, begging pleading for this all just to be a horrible dream.

My stomach heaved with effort for the information I was trying to gather—what happened in Driftveil to make these people so upset? There had been many reports of Team Plasma members still scattered about Unova in the last two years, but none had been so dramatic as to demand protection from a single person—me.

And the worst part was that I knew whatever happened this would fall back on me. People would look to me to be their hero again when in reality…

I looked up at N.

In reality I had never saved anyone. I had only fallen in love with Team Plasma's king. Sure I battled and fought with grunts and I beat the seven Sages that still hung around long after N's disappearing act two years ago… but that didn't mean I had the strength to save anyone. All my pokemon but Serperior were in no condition to fight, and Zekrom was much too loyal to Touko now… it would take a whole world of training to get him to befriend me again.

_Lucky enough for the town though, they were spared this time by a young trainer and a very unexpected gym leader. Rosa Mei, and Aspertia's leader Cheren._

If I thought my heart could beat any faster than it did then… well I had another thing coming for those words that struck me so fiercely in the chest. I actually flinched, pulling up my hand to cover my face as this horror laid itself upon shoulders once again.

Cheren tried to tell me… he called me the other morning when this started and I didn't even listen—I had been too caught up in N to worry about what Cheren had to say when in reality I was letting this situation fall far beyond my reach. I let him down. I let my friend down…

"Blackie…" N whispered, seeing my face turn pale as the news switched over to a commercial break. "No…"

"N… what am I gonna do?" I stared at my shaking hands as the former King of Team Plasma loomed over me. "I'm responsible for these people—I—I'm their hero!"

"You don't have to be…" he shook his head. "You don't have to do anything for them!"

"N!" I pushed up to sit on the bed, looking deep into his emerald eyes as the television's glow turned them a muted grayish green.

Suddenly then his hand was gripping my wrist so tightly it hurt. All the passion in his body coming through to crush my wrist because he was worried—and he always got violent when he was worried. Ever since I had known N he acted this way when things threatened him.

"I won't let you protect them…" he hissed. "I won't let you get hurt."

I swallowed hard, my heart and my head spinning out of control. Every rational part of my brain was saying to stay safe with N and act like I never heard anything come on the news at all—to just let the storm blow over our heads while we took shelter in our own private little bubble. However my heart was screaming to do the right thing—to find Team Plasma's new leader and take them out because… because to matter what I did or was before it didn't change how those people felt about me.

I was a strong trainer. I may not be strong enough to beat N—but that was because I loved him—but I sure as hell could give it another try if it meant protecting these people that believed in me. For Arceus sake Cheren was out there fighting a battle that was never his to begin with while I was here getting fucked every morning, day, and night because…. Because I was selfish.

N peered down at me with a gaze of great control, his brow creasing because he just couldn't stand the thought of me fighting anymore.

"You have to stay safe with me." He loosened his grip on my wrist, slowly but surely. "You have to… to forget about anyone else."


	38. Chapter 38

~Kyouhei~

_The pokemon Center?_

Sure.

Hyuu sent me the message after I so easily conquered the ground gym leader, Clay. I just managed to finish this battle which mean I had five badges now—far more than what I imagined I could ever get.

It was crazy to think that my first battle with Roxie had caused me such turmoil. I was so scared of harming my pokemon that I simply didn't have faith in them, and now I looked down upon Kukui, who was battered but far from broken, and smiled a genuine smile. Things were… going good. For the first time in a while I had to stop and think about just how lucky I was to have things working in my favor.

"You did good Kukui." I held her ball in my hands. "Do you want to rest here until we get to the Center?"

She shook her head, wiping a smidge of blood from her mouth. I didn't like walking with her when she was hurt because it made me look like a cruel trainer, but she wasn't exactly willing to go in the ball. She looked like she was happy as hell to be able to sport her battle wounds—I never thought upon finding this pokemon, that she would be such a good fighter. It was interesting to say the least… to be able to watch pokemon grow like that.

Huko was getting stronger every day as well, and though he only played a small part in this battle against Clay's ground typepokemon, he fared well and was proud of himself. That's all I could truly ask for. Hageshi was in no need of fighting this battle so he was tucked safely in his ball, though I felt like maybe he needed some fresh air soon. After I healed Kukui and Huko I should let them all out for a good training session—Hyuu would probably be willing since he had two battles to now fight.

We approached the pokemon center slowly, walking on the cement path lined by grass and few sparse trees that had all died within the chill the other day. It had dropped to a temperature so low that pipes almost had time to freeze, and then luckily it went back to normal, though it threw a wrench in natures system and ended up killing a lot of foliage. The dreary city looked even drearier in this instance.

"Kyouhei!" I reverted before reaching for the door handle, a strange vibrating electric shock sparking in my chest as I saw that Hyuu was running up the path, a goofy grin in his face as always—only he looked rather tired from what I could see.

We talked for so long last night… just catching up on what we had missed of each other, and then of course discussing the Team Plasma issue. Despite the fear and the anger I had towards Hyuu I realized that this wasn't something I wanted to hold a grudge against. Hyuu could love me all he wanted, but as long as he was ok with me NOT loving him then no big deal. He was still my friend.

"Waar?" I looked down in surprise to see Kukui gripping my pantleg, and then slowly releasing it as I scowled at her—that look in her eyes. Like a love struck puppy. I sighed as she darted away from me, yelling out to Alec, who I happened to notice evolved.

Hyuu hadn't said anything about evolving Alec… but, judging by the shit eating grin on his face I could tell that he had done it purposefully as a surprise. He looked so proud of his pokemon, and had every right to be—though it made me flinch internally for some reason.

"Kyou." Hyuu stopped in front of me, smiling down at the embrace Alec had on Kukui—it was a little disturbing in my opinion… but then again how could I sit there and say that I hated it? Kukui looked utterly happy.

I forced a small smile on my face, thinking that maybe Hyuu looked a little different to me… but still the same in a sense of awkward.

"Hey." I swallowed, reaching down into my bag where I put my badge case. "Look what I got."

Hyuu shook his head, excited over such a sparkling new item nestled next to the other four badges. He was jealous, I could see it in his eyes, but he was determined too. Inspired maybe? I never thought anyone could be inspired by me, especially with battling.

"You're way too far ahead!" He snorted. "Alec! Come on we're going to battle Clay!"

Alec sheepish and embarrassed released Kukui, who looked as if her greatest wish had just come true. I eyed her suspiciously.

"Wott Deowt!" Alec barked, his eyes rolling as Hyuu snapped his fingers at the pokemon. "Come on you have a job to do."

"And Kukui need to rest." I added, reaching down and scooping up my pokemon like I used to when she was smaller. They sent each other a disappointed and longing look.

"Oh and…" I turned back to Hyuu. "We're staying in the hotel down the street. I'll be there whenever you finish your battle."

Hyuu nodded in agreement. "Perfect~"

….

~one week later~

~Hyuu~

"A—Another cold spell." I shivered, tucking my nose into my jacket. "I—I wonder how close Team Plasma is."

Kyouhei was in a pretty horrible mood for some reason today, though I hadn't asked why and I was afraid to try and comfort him (even though I really wanted to), so my words felt hesitative, as if he would turn and bite my face off if given the slightest reason to.

"I fucking hate the cold." He snarled as the water on the ceiling fell in clumps of slush. "A—and this wet suit is just holding it all in."

I glanced at him crossly, seeing that his face was a shade of dark pink because of the cold, and his eyes were shut as if he was in pain. Wetsuits were designed to hold in moisture and keep you warm in the chilly oceans, but when it was just cold air they retained no heat.

We were nearly threw Chargestone cave when the cold set in, and it was almost pointless to keep moving on. With no signal on our pokegears and no clue how far we were from getting out of here we decided to take a chance and settle down for the night.

The cave was very dark, only illuminated by the brilliant blue stones that seemed to be few and far between—just barely enough to give us light when we were walking. Though we set up camp next to one so that we would have enough light to see and that we could keep an eye out for wild pokemon that might come a bit too close. Kyouhei let Hageshi out at this point and the giant snake was just as irritated as the rest of us. It made me uneasy, though Kyouhei swore he wouldn't do anything to hurt me—he was out to scare the wild ones away.

Huko also came out, but only for a short period of time to light us a fire because this place was so dank that it was cruel to make a fire pokemon endure it for our own selfish needs.

However despite the cold though, this whole place was brilliant and beautiful and I couldn't believe just how utterly lucky we were to see it. How many other trainers walked this path for generations, stopping here to bask in the glory of such awesome stones?

"Fu—Fuck!" Kyouhei hunched forward, holding himself as chills shook him through to the core. We had blankets, but we had to lay one down so that the icy ground wouldn't freeze us through our sleeping bags, so now he was wrapped up in the smaller one which really wasn't doing any good. I had a heavier jacket so I didn't have the blanket on me. Plus I was a little more used to cold weather because I knew how to snowboard and spent a large portion of my childhood going up to Twist Mountain in the winter to do so.

"M—maybe we should…" I swallowed, looking at the way his held his hands cupped over his face. Was he ignoring me? I didn't want to suggest we cuddle because he would flip out…but in all honesty it seemed like a good solution. And it seemed better than suggesting he take off his wetsuit (since the only other clothes he brought were a pair of sweats and jeans (jeans didn't retain heat at all and the sweats were tattered at this point).

Kyouhei looked up at me suspiciously, his eyes reverting around as if he knew what I was thinking—my face grew hot at his anger.

"Fine." He muttered through chattering teeth.

"Wai—wait what?"

"But if I don't wa—warm up, I—I'm punching you." Kyouhei didn't look me in the eyes as he pushed up off the ground. "A—and I'm not staying on the cold floor."

Heart hammering in my chest Kyouhei perched himself over me, not giving me the chance to even brace myself before he slipped down into my lap, forcing my back up against the cave wall where it really was unbearably cold. I flinched for a second, about to tell him no when I realized that this was everything I had ever dreamed of (except for maybe making passionate love to him). Teeth chattering he laid his head on my shoulder, his hands bringing forward the blanket that was around him so that he could drape it over both of us—my stomach coiled and jumped with angry butterfree at the action.

Kyouhei was small… I realized it for the hundredth or so time when he sat on me. He was lanky and short and had a slender frame that was almost too precious to hold. I didn't want to say I felt like I would break him, but I wanted to admit how fragile he was. I was afraid to touch him, and yet every vein in my body screamed for it.

Ever so softly I raised my hands, closing my eyes as Kyouhei began to relax, his body succumbing to the warmth of mine—It was probably because I was so embarrassed did my body feel so hot.

"K—Kyouhei…" I whispered, my hands hovering above his back. "Ca—can I hold you?"

"No."

I sighed, letting my eager hands fall to my sides again. Kyouhei would never give me the time of day would he? He would never allow me to love him… so I shouldn't even care enough to do this. I didn't have to let him sit on me right now, but what killed me was I loved it so much—the simple way he took advantage of me—that I couldn't push him away. I couldn't begin to negotiate the things I do for him, because I wanted to do them… even if he hurt me when he wouldn't let me do anything more.

"Mmn." Kyouhei pushed his cold nose into my neck as if to tease me. "I hate this."

"You hate everything." I mumbled sadly.

"It shouldn't be this fucking cold."

I sighed feeling both my butt and my back growing numb from where they touched the stone. Our tiny fire was not holding up well because there was very little timber to use and the rock was too damp anyways.

"Try and calm down… it will probably pass soon."

"Why is your heart beating so fast?" Kyouhei barked then, pulling his face away from me and pushing against my shoulders. His milky brown eyes seemed to turn a creamy light grey in the glow of the stones, and they made my stomach jump again.

"I—I don't know." I bit my lip, trying not to let my stomach lead to other places—I could NOT get hard now. That would go over like a fart in church.

Kyouhei's eyes narrowed though he said no more as he rested his face back into the pocket of my shoulder. I shivered.

"I—I'm sorry." I sounded choked. "I know you don't want me to love you… b—but I can't stop my heart from racing."

He was silent as I spoke.

"A—are you warm?"

Again he didn't speak, not wanting to answer my question when the answer was already there. He was getting warmer because he was slowly getting over the shakes and chills throughout his body.

"I don't love you."

My heart sank further into the reality pit that it had been for so long now—of course he didn't love me. He made that quite clear.

"And I don't know why you love me."

I was about to open my mouth and tell him that love was something that couldn't be explained, and that somehow it just happened. I was going to tell him that it was the night he walked out of the ocean and I saw him with the moon on his skin. That that night was when I fell for him and that I hadn't been the same since.

"But if you want to then fine."

"Wa—what?" I blinked as he hid his face further from my view. If I didn't know any better I would even say that he was turning hot from being embarrassed himself. My insides all seemed to leap at the same time, and my voice wasn't coherent as he grumbled.

"Hold me if you want."

"I—I—

Stumbling over my own words I pulled my hands up, setting them on his thighs first and pushing them up at his hips, feeling the lean muscle there—probably developed from his ability to surf so well. I brought them forward, hidden under the blanket we both shared and wrapped my arms around his back. My heart was ready to burst in my chest as Kyouhei seemed to shrivel within me.

"Is this ok?" I rest the side of my head against his, breathing in his natural ocean smell.

Ever so slightly he nodded.


	39. Chapter 39

~Kyouhei~

What exactly was I doing?

Eyes lulling with tiredness I breathed, feeling the weight of Hyuu next to me as we settled in Mistralton for the first night. He was so fucking clingy I wanted to punch him in his face, and yet at the same time I had no strength to push him away. He brought me close to him, being quite forceful in the way he yanked my body over, but at the same time somehow still loving. I hated it.

Actually… I decided that I hated Hyuu in general, no matter what it was or what he did it always seemed to bother me. From the way he blew his nose to the stupid grin he would wear whenever he was happy. I couldn't stand it anymore.

And yet I made no move at all. I lay there quietly, feeling his fluttering heartbeat for the second time in the last two days. It was strong and captivating, lulling my heartbeat with it as if it were a race to see who's would get to the finish line of destruction first. Hyuu's heart was calling to mine, making it quicken to catch up and then to my astonishment I realized that somehow my heart had started bounding forward and I was holding my breath.

Hyuu's smell… the way he touched me… everything about him was irritating and yet something was wrong. Something was very wrong with my body. My eyes darted around to look at Kukui and Alec, who had collapsed together on the sofa in this room and fallen right to sleep—their hearts must be in harmony because they both loved each other. However Hyuu's and mine were so far off it was almost painful. This should have been a physical sign that we were not compatible in the slightest. Regardless of what my own feelings were…

I didn't love Hyuu and that was that.

Grumbling I turned, pushing his shoulder away from mine because a heaviness had set in the pit of my stomach and I felt like maybe I was going to be sick if this person could possibly love me anymore. I inched towards the side of the large bed without Hyuu, though sensing his disappointment as he watched me.

I didn't know why I did it, since I didn't want to have to look at his stupid face, but I turned over to face him anyways my heart hiccupping as he smiled weakly at me.

"I hate when you do that." I whispered. "I hate when you try and look happy when you aren't."

His face turned down in a notch of sad amusement. He knew this of course, I had told him numerous times not to smile if he didn't have a reason to, but somehow it only made him smile more. My stomach twitched, a strange sensation I…I couldn't remember feeling before. And yet it was all too familiar.

"What if I am happy?" Hyuu countered, flashing his white teeth. "What if this is just the face I make?"

I scoffed. "Then maybe you shouldn't be happy at all."

The smile faded instantly, turning into neglect and despair as if I had just kicked him while he was down. My heart somehow skipped a beat as his eyes widened innocently.

"You're so cruel Kyouhei."

"I—

I stopped, thinking about what I had just said—wishing someone wasn't happy. That WAS cruel of me. Sighing I looked down at my hands as they seemed to twitch nervously. Hyuu hadn't called me cruel since the day he left me when I was sick… and this was a fair reminder of just how mean I could be when I wanted.

"I—I wasn't always this way." I bit my lip, remembering my carefree days on the island back home—a long time ago before Touya left me to come to Unova. "I've changed a lot…"

Hyuu looked appreciative. "What were you like before then?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "It doesn't matter."

"No really." He pushed up on his elbow to look at me clearly. "Tell me, I want to know what you were like before you were cruel."

I shook my head. "Well that's just it. I wasn't cruel. I was… happy."

"So you're not happy now? Not even a little?"

Groaning I pushed my hands in front of my eyes. "Ok maybe that's the wrong way to put it. I—I am happy now… at least a lot more happy than I was when I first moved here. But it's just… hard to know that so much as changed. I was a carefree person at one point. All I did was surf all day long, and collect seashells and hang out with my brother… it was… amazing."

Sadness swelled in my heart for Mintonga island as Hyuu crept forward, seeing this discomfort on my face and wanting to reach out and touch me—as if somehow that could take the pain away. I grit my teeth, looking down and knowing that I wouldn't be able to push him away.

I hated Hyuu. I hated him with all my heart.

Gently he touched my shoulder, shifting to his side again and hitching himself up next to me. I closed my eyes as he pushed his cheek to mine.

"You look lost…" He whispered in my ear. "It makes me sad…"

I couldn't speak as he slipped his arm under me, the other moving down to my hip and then squeezing lightly. A terrible wave of heat washed over my face like the tide could come in over the beach, swamping me with a sudden feeling of uncertainty—the desire to run and hide like a pressured wild pokemon. I flinched at his hand, only inches away from a skinny patch of brick brown hair running down into the fabric of my tattered old sweats.

I trembled as Hyuu caught me, the wild pokemon, in his arms and pulled me close, tightening his grip too much and then suddenly swinging me over in a hurry. I gasped, eyes flashing open as the walls rotated from the side to straight then, and I was face to face with the bed's headboard. Blinking in shock I realized that Hyuu had pulled me on top of him, his face so close to mine I couldn't take it.

"I—I hate you." I shivered as his palms rubbing circles on my lower back.

"But I love you so much." He shifted, his legs moving slightly so that his hips rose—and only then did I realize that he was putting the weight of me on his crotch.

Snarling on the inside but frozen on the outside I felt the intense bulbous shape of hard beneath me. It was… the smell of hotel room shampoo and soap, and seawater, and somehow still a manly tang of… something. My heart was hammering in my chest now, flying towards disaster as Hyuu moved his hands up the length of my back and then down again, under the fabric of my shirt so that every sand-rubbed expanse of my skin was an invisibly canvas for his nails. He trailed them softly up my spine making me lurch.

Panting I yanked myself away from him, rolling off the edge of the bed and only just catching myself on the floor before I landed face-first. My head swam with dizziness at the sheer thought of his body so close to mine, and within seconds I had locked myself away in the bathroom, anger stirring in my chest because… because this was not supposed to be like this.

"Kyouhei!" Hyuu's voice called to me, and I could hear his feet approaching the door. "I—I'm sorry…"

"Go away!" I said, shaking horrible as I looked at my flushed form in the mirror. It was… not the person I normally saw there.

This feeling… it wasn't the first time but it certainly was the first in a long time. I swallowed, finding my throat utterly dry as my hands slowly moved the material of my sweats and boxers. It was a painful process, one I was not ready for, but had to do anyways. I held my breath and let them fall to the floor in despair then as I stared down at myself.

I was hard.

And not just irked a little. I was completely hard, from the way my balls sat tight between my legs to the tip of my penis.

Furious now I turned to the shower—which was still damp from the one I already took a little while ago—and I turned the water on cold.

….

~Hyuu~

Kyouhei wouldn't let me touch him the rest of the night… and I really didn't feel like I slept all that much considering I was so worked up over his frustration. However when I woke up he was in my arms, whether by accident or instinct or whatever. He had wriggled his way into me while we were asleep and he lay his precious face against my chest. Despite my shock I knew I wanted to watch him sleep like this, holding him and running my fingers through a small strand of his chestnut hair- but of course he woke up only a moment after I realized this, and he shoved my face harshly, kicking me in the shin and then rolling out of bed only to land with a thud on the ground.

He cursed like a sailor, yelling at me for touching him without his permission, when in reality he was the one who had come to me—I was still as far on my side of the bed as I started on. There was an awkwardness that seemed to set in then, the cause of him knowing how much I wanted him to be with me, and me not strong enough to tell him out loud how much it hurt when he pushed me away.

I let it go though, accepting this poor fate of mine and once again trying to swim in the fact that he wasn't going to be coming around to loving me like I loved him. All I could settle on was the few and far between moments when he allowed me to do things like hold him, and still that wasn't much of an improvement—it was more like pity.

"Why are you walking so fucking close to me?" He had spat when we left the hotel together, his eyes narrow but averted from my gaze all together. It hurt because I really wasn't trying to walk close to him, I was just walking and naturally my steps seemed to want to be beside his. I couldn't have tried to explain it either, so I just forced a wedge between again, strangled feeling.

Kukui and Alec walked together, tails brushing as we all headed out to check the Mistralton city's gym. It was Skyla, the flying leader, who shouldn't be any harder than Elisa was, however I knew that I STILL didn't have any more pokemon to my team that Alec and…poor Pidove didn't even count. I really should just have let it go.

The morning drew on, upon us finding that the gym was closed with direction to go to the air port on it. It didn't say much, but Kyouhei didn't seem fazed by the possibilities, and was willing to follow it. Personally I thought he probably just wanted to get away from me and the awkward silence between us—ironic because the only thing between us at all was a couple of pokemon in love.

"Why wouldn't Skyla be in her gym?" I mused, running a hand through my hair, which had puffed up an unnecessary amount like always when I first woke up.

Kyouhei merely shrugged, ignoring me as best he could as the mechanical airport doors opened. It wasn't a very big airport, and nothing felt utterly flashy like in Castalia City, though a strange sense of pride seemed to dwell in the air as we passed people—tourists—coming in from all over the world. There was a mother and her children, an elderly man with a purple monkey pokemon on his shoulder, a pair of lovers holding hands, so ridiculously at ease with each other it damaged my ego. One was lean and had the most gorgeous long red wine color hair, and the other was broad with short dark hair—polar opposites coinciding together through the touch of their hands. It made me want to reach out and take Kyouhei's.

The action wouldn't be appreciated though… and I knew from experience that looking like I was even THINKING about doing something like that would get me a tongue lashing. Kyouhei was so… prickly it was ridiculous.

"Maybe we should ask someone if they know why Skyla is sending her challengers here?" I suggested as Kyouhei looked up at a sign.

"This reminds me of when I got to Aspertia…" He mumbled, ignoring me again, but this time for a different reason. His eyes had glossed over with memory and I could see the hidden pain in his eyes. "I was lost and dizzy because I hadn't eaten anything… I really hate airplanes and they kind of make me sick."

I looked at him crossly, having never been on a plane myself—the closest thing to it was a ski lift up the side of the mountain—and not sure what he was feeling.

"Why did you want to come here then?" I wondered. If he didn't like flying or planes then why would he be eager to come to an airport? Could it be that he was actually getting into the idea of being a trainer? Was he excited to battle?

"Don't you want to know where the leader is?"

"We could have just waited and checked back at the gym later." I said as he started to walk away from me.

"Sounds like a waste of time."

I didn't understand him… not even a little. He seemed to want to rush headfirst into this battle when in reality it's not like it would gain us anything. We were still three badges from the Elite four, which… last time I checked Kyouhei didn't care about.

I followed loyally though; as he weaved between people in the direction the sign pointed him. It seemed simple enough considering Aspertia's airport was three times this size and made it look like a gas station. Even Kukui and Alec seemed undaunted by it.

"Kyouhei what do you plan on doing once you find the gym leader?" I said as he picked up pace ahead of me, moving swiftly into a roped off row. He slipped under it to the empty service station and stood before the counter, leaning and looking up at the lady as if she could read his mind. I held back in confusion, trying to ignore Kukui and Alec teetering over to him—Alec should be more willing to stay by my side than follow Kukui to Kyouhei's, regardless of loving the turtle pokemon or not.

"D—do you have any flights to Mintonga Island?" he said softly, almost shyly as a smile crept to his face. I gaped like a magikarp, wondering why he never smiled at me like that, and why in the world he wanted a flight back to his island! My heart seemed to crack into two pieces as the lady folded her hands sadly.

"Sorry hun, I don't believe I know of a Mintonga Island…"

Kyouhei's face fell slightly, and the rude exposure came back as he turned, not saying another word to the lady and walked back to me, this time taking his time through the roped line and not going under them.

I was frowning as he walked back up to me.

"What?"

"What do you mean what?" I curled my lip. "You were just going to take off on a plane? Go back to where you came from and leave me here?"

He snorted, rolling his eyes. "Come on Kukui…"

The turtle pokemon looked disappointed not to be going back to Mintonga any time soon either.

"Kyouhei!" I tried to control my volume as I followed him. "I don't understand you. Are you that eager to leave? Is it me?"

"Shut up Hyuu." He hissed over his shoulder. "You're going to cause a scene."

"Why can't you just act like you like me as a person?" I insisted. "You don't have to love me but don't ignore me! Do—

"Hyuu." He whirled, baring his teeth and blushing as people walking by saw my emotions unfold into a sort of simmering rage.

Why couldn't he just like me!?

"You're being obnoxious." He said, turning away and heading somewhere again. I didn't know what he was doing or thinking or trying to accomplish, but it looked as if he just wanted me to leave—as if he would take off running just to ditch me.

"You're being unfair." I whispered, slowing to a halt as he kept walking, just to see how far he really would go without me. Alec only made it a couple feet before realizing that I had left them. His head whirled around, to Kukui and back to me with longing eyes. It was heartless of me to make him choose between the pokemon he loved and me as his trainer, but of course as a loyal pokemon would, he came dashing back to my side, though hiding his face from Kukui because he didn't want to see her disappointment.

"Kukui?" Kyouhei stopped a little further, seeing that his pokemon had also caused a link in our row. He turned, looking down at his pokemon as she stared begging back.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets uncomfortably as Kyouhei eyed me again, his expression turning from anger to guilt to pity back to anger again. He let out a hasty breath before stomping back over to me.

"Wouldn't you be interested in seeing if you could go home? Back to where you are happiest?" He snarled lowly, though I could tell he didn't really want me to answer this question because I didn't feel the same way about home that he did. My home was boring and my mother worked a lot. There was nothing truly beneficial there for me.

"I wish you would just try and be happy here." I said. "I wish you just give me a chance…"

He shook his head. "There are no chances Hyuu. There is only a right and a wrong way to go."

"How can you say that?"

"Because everyone I have ever known that loves someone gets hurt." He stared carefully into my eyes, unblinking and unwavering as I tried to grasp this poor soul. I couldn't understand him…

"You don't know if it will happen to you too." I shook my head. "You don't know what it feels like…"

"And I don't want to."

"Kyouhei… please…"

Stubbornly he shook his head. "Let's just see if we can find the gym leader."

"Please Kyouhei!"

"I don't love you." He hissed under his breath, turning and walking away from me again.


	40. Chapter 40

~Kyouhei~

I didn't like him. I didn't like him at all. I hated him.

Tingling inside I squirmed over, wondering why my body seemed cold without the heat of another pressed up to me—it was a damn problem that Kukui was too caught up in Alec to be my warmth. The blackness of the hotel room was hard to grasp despite the way we pulled the blinds shut again, after another uneventful day. It was late because we had been out training though, and I could feel a heavy exhaustion sneaking up into me as I tried to find comfort.

I did not like Hyuu. I hated him—the only reason I even wanted to be close to him was because he was warm and I was selfish.

Acting like I was asleep I rolled over, playing limp and stopping up into Hyuu's side, anticipating his arms around me as he seemed to always do. Though what I felt was nothing of the sort; I felt flinching and a shallow gasp that came before he turned, oblivious to my cruel games, and gently pushed me aside, back to my side o the bed where the sheets felt cold and numbing.

I wanted to scowl at his rejection—he wanted me so badly so what was the problem? I waited a long moment, keeping my breathing under control and fidgeting only slightly until it felt right to move again. I tried hard this time, aiming to fit myself into his shape pristinely, but finding that he had turned his back to me. Biting my lip in annoyance I curled up into his spine, pressing my forehead between his shoulder blades.

"Kyouhei…" he huffed in a voice that I knew meant he thought I was asleep. It was so quiet and pained as he shifted, swinging his legs down and then getting up off the bed. I had the desire to look up at him, only I was afraid he would turn the light on and find me staring back. Hiding my face in the pillow I felt him crawl back up the other side of the bed where I had been lying only a moment earlier. For some reason this aggravated me to know end, and I couldn't stop the chills from sweeping over my body—I really was cold again.

Irritated I waited, this time longer but not long enough that Hyuu himself would fall asleep in the process, and then slowly, unconvincingly I rolled back over. One more try before I give up on trying to be warm and… next to him.

I wanted to kick myself for feeling this way. It was wrong but I felt like after two nights of feeling him around me I couldn't sleep in the open like this. Selfishly I wanted to sleep… and…

No. I did not like Hyuu. I hated him.

Hyuu's defenses were crashing and burning too as I allowed myself to find his shape again. I almost crossed my fingers, feeling him tense and then wait, holding his breath as I puffed out in an attempt to sound incoherent. My mind however, was wandering to placed it shouldn't go. His body was so warm… it reminded me of the soft sand on Mintonga Island.

Just as I thought he was going to accept this position he moved, grunting as if he were in pain and turning to swing his legs out of bed again—this time I was sure he would go sleep on the couch or the floor.

So I reached out, my heart roaring with shock at my own actions. It took off in an unsteady beat as I gripped Hyuu by the arm.

"I'm awake you dipshit." I wanted to scream at myself. This hate was nothing but a mask. This feeling was nothing but a lie inside of me. Cold as I was I hated the idea of him turning away again.

"Kyouhei…" I heard him swallow. "I—I don't want you to be mad at me."

I couldn't answer him because I knew the angrier I got with myself the more angry I would get at him. It was mean and inconsiderate I knew… but what else could I do?

"You're leading me on." He voice was caught in his throat, and for the first time I really heard how terribly pained he sounded. It was in his chest—a lulling steady beat like his heart, calling to me and thumping with longing. What was I doing? What was this horrible feeling of guilt and hate and annoyance?

My hands curled gently around his wrist, pulling him back towards me, though no words could summon from my lips to answer his truth. Was I leading him on? I didn't even know what leading someone on really meant, so how could I possibly be doing it?

"I—I can't." Hyuu said, but fought none as he slumped back over, wrapping an arm around me and hugging tightly. "You're like alcohol. You make me feel so good and then you turn around and bite me in the ass."

My heart was thudding, beating, worshiping him in my chest as I felt the heavy swell of his scent wafting past me—and the warmth of such a tight, broad body shifting on me. I trembled, hate like… like passion rising in me as my initial thought was to shove him way—to kick that precious puppy while he licked my feet in loyalty.

And yet no words, no sounds, no nothing could escape from my mouth as these feelings consumed me, and the odds rose in favor of a beating heart—something that I hadn't felt besides when I was afraid and when he got this close to me.

"You're heart is beating…" Hyuu so carefully laid the side of his head on my bare chest, listening to the unsteady rapping—like an island drum that never lost its beat.

iJust calm down Kyouhei… calm down./i I begged myself as my stomach began to swim a familiar pace inside of me.

"Kyouhei… I—I know you don't… love me." Hyuu said, pulling his face back and peering down at me. I could only just make out the shine in his eyes from the tiny fraction of light coming from the crack in the blinds. "B—but what ab—about… lust?"

My face scrunched up at the dirty word rolling off of his lips, and it was all I could do but to shake my head no. No as in… there was no lust in my dictionary. Lust was something foreign and unknown, almost as scary as love itself. I knew no world of lust—hell when I got a boner I took a cold shower and hoped for the best; I couldn't even bring myself to jack it off.

"W—what if I promised not to love you anymore… i—if…"

Breathing in his clean showered smell I recycled the thoughts of today in my mind—how mean I had been to him at the airport, and just how mean I knew I could be now. But at the same time the things in my chest swelling—those emotions—and the embarrassing thing that seemed to grow in my pants.

Holding my breath I looked away from him, twitching and shaking slightly as he looked at me, his eyes harder to read than ever before. It was like he was trying to hide something from me, but at the same time the weight of his body revealed it all. Bare chests against each other we hesitated, me so mind blown I didn't know what was happening, and him taking in careful consideration of what to do.

I wanted to run away and hide forever. But at the same time I wanted not to move, but to simply feel him on top of me. To embrace this moment of sheer absurdity and store it away in my mind forever—as if to lock the emotion away in my safe of dangerous emotions. Did lust feel this way? Or was I just nervous?

"Kyouhei…" Hyuu's voice lulled like a slow wave crawling up a damn shore. It sent a shiver through my spine, something like lightening sparking in my groin in the same instance as he dug his hips in just a bit further, grinding them with mine.

"Let me ravish you." He purred. "Let me make you scream… no love, just lust."

My mind whirled for a coherent answer to this problem. I couldn't begin to think of what to say let alone what to do. I didn't know anything about lust or… or things that you did when you were lustful.

"Let me take you over the edge." Hyuu pressed his careful mouth to the side of my neck, his tongue slipping back and forth smoothly. "And I promise I won't love you anymore…"

I swallowed. That bargain he was making… how could he just assume he wouldn't love me anymore? Or was it that all he ever truly wanted was my body? I didn't think so… I was short and lean, not some tall husky man. What did he see there?

"You're hard…" he said, rubbing his erection against mine through the material of our sweats.

Stupidly I nodded, though it was meant to be a rude reaction as if I knew that—thanks for pointing out the obvious. But rather it looked interested in what he had to do to me.

No love. Just lust.

I swallowed, opening my mouth for the first time in what felt like days, and sucking in a hard breath.

"I—I don't… I can't—

"Shhh." Hyuu nibbled at my collar bone. "I'll do all the work…"

One by one I felt ever wall shatter and crash around me. My every defense crumbling into pieces as this boy made his way down my chest, stopping once just to kiss each of my nipples, making them perk and pebble in the cool air between our hot bodies.

"I—I hate y—you." I squeezed my eyes shut, covering my mouth with my hands as Hyuu went down slowly, one millimeter at a time until he reached the waist band of my sweats.

He kissed the flat part of my hips gently, whispering in a foreign voice I had never heard before.

"I know… I hate you too."


	41. Chapter 41

~Hyuu~

My every sense was tingling vibrating, trembling with desire as I went down on Kyouhei, nuzzling the softest part of his pants where just beneath sat a lovely pair of balls, ones in which I was determined to kiss passionately before this night was over.

I was… tired of being pushed around. I was tired of Kyouhei acting as if he could use me whenever he thought he wanted it, and then pushing me away when it didn't feel right to him. He never once considered if it felt right to me, and despite my giving nature I was fed up with the act. It was trickery, a painful situation in which I didn't understand the consequences, but knew that the act would forever be worth it.

Sex with Kyouhei… it was something I had contemplated time and time again, however this wasn't the sort of situation I recalled playing in my mind. In my every dream and fantasy sex with Kyouhei went like this—him sucking me, us rolling together, me penetrating him, him penetrating me, screams, moans, heat, and a lot of love.

This was nothing of the sort. This was a frozen statue beneath me as I nuzzled his crotch, fingertips threatening to pull down on his waistband. He was… so scared…

And yet I wanted it so badly I couldn't take another second of waiting. I had to have him. I had to feel something from him—even if it was cum trickling down my throat I didn't care. I just needed to know that we had something, that I could be something for him.

I said I didn't love him but I was a liar and im sure he knew it. I said this was lust not love, and yet my every motion was full of furious passion that belonged to nothing more than the broken, leaking heart centered inside me. I was oozing love. My whole body giving off an atmosphere of pure want and need while I gave to him the pleasure I hoped he would return to me.

I knew it would regret this. I knew I would and yet I couldn't stop. I couldn't gouge Kyouhei's reaction fast enough to me pulling down his pants and revealing the hard member standing at attention—a perfect statue on his lean body.

He was small… I couldn't emphasize that enough considering how daunting his cock seemed when I was staring down at it. Panting, my chest heaving with effort I bent forward watching Kyouhei cover his face in horror. Slowly I stretched my arm out to him, fingertips trembling as his erection jerked in anticipation. It was perfect… the most perfect and beautiful erection I had ever seen. Sleek and tight and looking monumental in the small swath of light coming in through the crack in the blinds.

Softly, ever so softly the tips of my fingers met the head of it; stroking the two tiny holes that could release so much love for me.

And then he was gone. Ripping himself away from me in an attempt that left me breathless. It was like being stabbed in the heart over and over and over and fucking over again. Gritting my teeth I slipped off the bed after him, actually running and stopping myself in his place before he could find his way into the bathroom and lock the door. We hit the wall.

"Don't touch me!" He screeched, bipolar and lashing out though his face burned with embarrassment. "You sick pervert!"

From nearby I could hear the sudden jolt of our pokemon waking up. Alec gasped in surprise, and I heard two pairs of feet on the floor, rushing forward as I tried to steady Kyouhei—he managed to hit me in the jaw in the process though.

"Stop it!" I gripped him harshly. "Stop doing this to me!"

"You stop doing this to me!" He wailed, and I could hear the painful sound of tears in his voice. He was so scared... he was lost.

Grunting I yanked him into me, wrapping my arms around his back and crushing him to my chest. "Kyouhei—I love you."

"Stop. Shut the fuck up. I hate you."

I held him tighter, nails digging into his lower back. "I love you. I love you so much it hurts."

"T—then—

"No Kyouhei." I cut him off, finding tears swelling in my eyes as my body numbed to the feeling of him beside me. I had him pinned against the wall, and despite the two pairs of eager eyes boring into me I couldn't even stop. Alec and Kukui would have to understand.

My sanity seemed to break then, and every feeling and emotion and plan to get Kyouhei to love me was ruined. I couldn't pretend to hated him, I couldn't pretend not to even love him, I couldn't do anything to him. So I cried.

Whimpering into his shoulder and heart beating so fast I held him up against that wall, tears streaming down my face to his shoulder and chest.

He cried too, but not nearly as bad as I did.

I was suddenly a wreck, falling apart and thinking of how simple things had been when we first became friends. Though I had known I loved him he didn't know and he didn't judge me for anything. He let me laugh with him, he let me walk beside him, he let me smile that "stupid" smile he said he always hated. It was as if he considered me a completely different person now, and I regretted all of it. I regretted this feeling, but I knew that I couldn't shake it.

In all my life I had never felt pain like this—not even when I fell off my snowboard one winter and tumbled mile down the side of a mountain, breaking my arm. This was far worse than that. This was internal, something that could not be snapped into place and mended with a cast.

To anyone in the world that didn't believe emotional pain was worse than physical… well… props to them for not allowing it to hurt them. Because if it hurt them then they would understand—it felt like someone had their hand gripped around your heart and was squeezing it so tightly it would pop.

"I—I—I ca—can't let you go." I hiccupped, a slow whine creeping up through my throat as his hands pressed against my stomach and I expected him to push me away.

"I—I'm so-Sorry." I sobbed into him, every piece of me breaking down and crumbling to reveal the soft bleeding soul just under my skin. He made me like this. He made me crazy and hopeless and terrible.

"S—stop apologizing…" his voice was molecular beneath the noises choking me. "Hyuu…"

"Ma—maybe if I leave. Maybe if I ju—just g—go back home…" I wondered, thinking about the way Lizzie sounded when we talked on the phone. She at least would be happy to see me. "I—I won't bo—bother you then."

"Hyuu stop." Kyouhei sniffed. "Stop it. O—Ok… let—let me…"

I hated this. It was like I had no control over my feelings at all, and I couldn't bring myself to even quiet down for a moment to convince my pokemon I was ok. Alec was peering up at me; I could feel it boring into my back in the same fashion a doctor would look at their patients wound. Was I infected? Was I bleeding? Was I cut through to the flesh to the vital organs in my body? Were my ribs broken from trying to catch my breath?

"Stop it…" Kyouhei seemed to beg this time. "Hyuu I—Ok... It's… going to be ok. Ok?"

I couldn't answer him. I didn't have the strength to tell him that it would never be ok because he would never love me and I would never get over him.

"Please get off…" He shivered beneath me.

My nails started to come out of his skin as his hands trailed up my stomach, palms flat feeling the contours of my chest and up to my collar bone where he stopped, letting his fingertips curl up my shoulders and neck. He sighed as he went, breathing as evenly as he could while that outburst of his subsided, too frightened by my violent sobs to come any further.

"I'm sorry… ok?" He curled his hands around the back of my neck. "I—I'm sorry im so mean… I'm just afraid…"

I know… I know Kyouhei. You poor abandoned baby.

The words didn't come off my lips as he allowed every naked inch of himself to press up against me, his hands tangling in my hair.

"I—I don't know how to be in love. I don't… I don't want to be. But… what am I supposed to do when you act like this?"

"I—I ca—can't help myself." I tried to steady my breath on his words—the way he seemed to calm down after the storm much quicker than I had. Like I said, he must have some mild case of being bipolar or something.

"Hyuu…I—I can try…"

"Y—You don't love me."

"B—but i—

"So don't lead me on."

Silence curled between us like a heavy ocean wave, tossing turning, swirling us down into oblivion with one another as he leaned up into me, off the wall and slowly to his toes where he hesitated, his noise bumping my chin first and then…

And then everything seemed to go blank. My mind cascading around this horrific yet so stunning person before me—this cruel enlightening young man that seemed to capture my every hope and dream and shatter it.

And then…

a—an—

…

I woke up on the dirty, tear soaked hotel room floor.

….

~Touya~

"H—Hello?" I grumbled, annoyed with the phone vibrating in the middle of the night again, especially when sleep was so scarce now that my worry had been taken over by the thought of team plasma.

"Touya?" It was Kyouhei's voice calling me, and he sounded alarmed and maybe even hurt (or strangled if you count the way he spluttered).

"What is it?" I pushed up, leaning on my elbows in concern. I knew my brother didn't call me unless it was important, and even then it still sounded like a bother to him. Unlike this time however… he sounded like he needed help.

"I—I ki—

Silence clouded our conversation for a moment.

"Kyou?"

"Hyuu fainted…"

"What?" I shook my head, thinking that I heard wrong.

"He fainted a—and I don't know what to do."

"Why did he faint?"

"I—I don't know." He lied through his teeth, and I knew that calling him out would be pointless. He never told anyone anything he didn't want to.

"Try splashing water on him or something… or was he sick?"

"No." He said simply. "I—I'll try water."

"Good luck." I let my head fall back into my pillow with a sigh as he hung up on me, just like that. A small moan rose in my throat as a familiar sound seemed to creep across the floor at me, and only a moment later my nocturnal partner was hauling herself into bed with me and N.

"Serperior…" I grunted as she so playfully lay on top of me, her cold scales making me flinch. "What?"

Her tongue flickered across my cheek as she lay her head around my shoulder, hissing softly. I glanced at N again, seeing the rise and fall of his chest as he was dead asleep. He was a hard sleeper, unlike me who got woken up by things such as phones vibrating.

"Oh fine." I huffed, blowing my messy hair out of my face and carefully getting out of bed. Serperior followed eagerly.

"You wanna play?" I patted her as she nuzzled my side, making it hard to walk.

"We can have a little play fight~"


	42. Chapter 42

~Touya~

Trying to play fight with a pokemon was a bad choice to begin with… but trying to play fight with an eleven foot snake that's body was as thick as your head was a whole different mistake.

Serperior, who was normally so high class and gentle and easy going, turned into a thorough killer when she was in battle, and regardless of it being a play fight or not she was still the scariest fucking thing I had ever come face to face with (accept maybe for my own dilemmas).

She was strong, a solid slithering muscle covered in sleek oily skin, glistening under the moon as the starts twinkled and the late summer hat set in. It had been especially hot around Aspertia this last week, and threats about wild fires had come on the news—not a good sign when east on the mainland Unova was suffering from snow flurries.

I hadn't decided what to do about Team Plasma really… but I decided that if things got worse and I heard anything more about it on the news I would have to tell N that this was my destiny—to be the hero of this region once again and stop Plasma before they had their chance to harm us. I would have to push him to believe that I could do it—even if it meant not having him standing beside me.

N couldn't be my ally against Team Plasma… or… so he said. He refused to be in that business again especially since so many of his former members were out there looking for him to return, to convince the world again that liberation was the right thing—I would say these people were soft minded but really… anyone that ever heard N give a speech would know that he is far more than convincing. He is… a magician, able to manipulate the minds with his quiet confidence and his eager emerald eyes.

Grunting with effort I tried to push Serperior's body off of me, but my hands slipped and there was no easy way to grab her. She had always been sleek and fast, with talented flexibility as well as a talented mind that allowed her to think strategically on her own. Never once had I commanded her something wrong in battle—she made decisions on her own and as a strategy it worked. No trainer expected their opponent to be silent as their pokemon attacked. The vicious mauling was something I caught people off guard for because Serperior didn't need me to give away our moves before she preformed them—it was almost like we were one mind.

However trying to battle with her personally was a bad idea, even though I was her trainer and I had the ability to control her with the click of a button—just one little pokeball—I didn't have the strength to fend her off in this situation.

She pinned me easily, listening to the way I grunted in the field of weeds and dandelions just outside our town. She slithered, excited with her win and then getting off of me. In the same moment she slapped me upside the head gently with her tail, making a loving hissing sound.

"You still got it." I moaned in defeat, feeling my sore muscles already through the light fabric of my summer clothes—shorts and a tshirt of course.

Serperior lay beside me in the warm grass, flicking her tongue as I sighed, looking up at the dawn approaching through the trees in the distance—only a little ways off I could see the rise of waves on a muddy shoreline.

If I were to ever be completely honest with myself I would admit that I missed the waves of Mintonga Island, and the way sea salt smelt on your skin after a long day out in the ocean. It was soothing and nostalgic to see those waves, and it reminded me of a time when family was something very important in my life.

Not that it wasn't important now, but by family I didn't mean how I felt exactly, I meant how we were together. A family of four under one roof. A mother, a father, and two young boys that knew no fear in their protected island world.

Maybe I was too young to see just how much more there was in this world though… maybe looking through the trees at those waves I didn't see nostalgia after all. Maybe I saw safety? Maybe I saw my childhood which was so innocent it felt like a sunburn on my heart—flaking away to reveal the fleshy pink skin beneath, and then finally settling to a warm golden tan.

I missed Mintonga.

But not enough that I ever wanted to go back there for more than just a visit. Sure it would be nice to see the beaches Kyouhei and I grew up on again… but that was about it.

I was happy with my life here in Unova. Regardless of this cloud of worry over my head because of Team Plasma… I was utterly happy. I was in love, I was at ease, I had gotten my brother to go out into the world and experience new things—and for the most part I think he liked it even if he wouldn't admit it.

Taking a long deep breath I allowed the summer breeze to come over me, unprepared for the sudden shout coming from a little ways off.

I blinked, looking back as Serperior raised her head and peered towards our approaching person. Her eyes seemed to narrow for only a moment, and then she realized who it was and started to wiggle happily—I swore she was still just a silly Snivy at heart.

"Touya…" A casual, and yet somehow surprised voice came, and I didn't bother to look into his face because I knew exactly who it was. I realized that I would recognize his voice anywhere. A slightly sheepish grin etched itself onto my face.

"Oh—Hey… Cheren." I breathed, folding my arms behind my neck as he loomed. I had forgotten that Cheren went on a walk through this path to the beach every now and again, usually to clear his head when he was worried or angsty.

"Hey… I didn't expect to see you here." He commented, his oil black hair shiny in the dull glow from the sunrise.

Cheren was always a good friend to me, even though he had a rocky start when Touko became closer to me and then Bianca became a little too close to him—he was always that one person I could count on to have my back. Whether it be fighting Team Plasma neck and neck, or patting my back as I wretched over a toilet bowl after one too many drinks.

He looked different however, now that I got a good look at him from below—he looked tired. Or maybe just aged? His jaw had widened in the last two years I had known him, and his brow line had been defined to a nice shape over his slender eyes.

But what surprised me about how he looked most was the fact that he was wearing his old glasses, which he had replaced with contacts the very first chance he got after Team Plasma fell two years ago.

"Ahh. Four eyes." I grinned—an attempt to lighten the suddenly thick air as Cheren bent and sat beside me.

"How are you doing?" He murmured softly. "I—I wanted to apologize for hanging up on you that day…"

Apparently the attempt was a dead one because no one besides me could forget about what happened in Driftveil, and then try and cover it up with a joke for kindergartners. Quietly I pushed myself up out of the grass, sitting beside him and frowning.

"No im sorry… I didn't even listen to what you had to say—I-… well you know… N came back…"

Cheren was humble as he nodded, though I could see just how much pain he was in. Somehow all that hurt and agony of knowing that the one person I loved so much was here to ruin Cheren... "Y—Yeah." He forced a smile, though his dark blue eyes looked glossy behinds the lenses of his red rimmed glasses.

"H—how are you guys?" he mused after a moment of awkward silence.

I couldn't lie about this, though my heart ached to tell him that things were just ok. I wanted to sound biased as if he had asked me how my day was or something molecular. But of course he had to go for my heart when he questioned me—pulling a plug that was never sealed shut and letting the emotions flow.

"Its… amazing." I had to look down as I spoke. "It's like he never left… but I still feel like I've missed out on so much. Kind of strange I guess, but…" I brought my eyes up to look at him. "I'm happy."

He smiled a sad smile, something that couldtn deny the truth in my eyes or the truth in his. His lip trembled slightly as he let it all sink in.

"I'm happy for you." Was all he said, and I knew he meant it.

"N—No Cheren." I felt my stomach twisting out of place as he wiped below his glassed, a terribly smile stuck on his teeth because he was trying not to cry.

"I'm happy for you." He repeated, holding back the tears and taking a deep breath. "I want you to be happy—hearing that you are makes me happy. So it's ok."

All I could do was stare at him as if he had a third eye growing out of his forehead. He was so good to me. He was such a good friend it actually had me thinking that maybe things should have been different between us. I looked at his matured face and sleek hair and warm ocean eyes and… somewhere inside of me I knew that if it weren't N, it would be Cheren.

"I—I'll support you." Cheren stopped his emotions then, clinging to his composure now and not allowing his eyes to fail him. He looked at me straight on as he spoke. "I'm your best friend. I—I'll be your best man at your wedding. I'll be anything for you."

"Woah woah." I bit my lip, trying to grasp what he said. Wedding? "It's a little early for that Cheren…"

"I'm just saying." He insisted. "I support you."

Swallowing slightly, allowing the smile to come back. "Thank you."

Cheren wiped his eyes again—why did it feel like my smile was the cause of his emotions? Shouldn't it be me being upset or sad? I couldn't hold this expression when he couldn't hold himself together. Was he really happy that I was happy?

He sniffed, pushing up off the ground again and dusting off his pants from the grass. "Come on. Touya." I could tell he wanted a distraction—something to get us out of this awkward before it because worse. "Let's have a battle."

Serperior perked up with interest, her eyes sparkling.

"We haven't battled in a long time." Cheren smiled a sad and devious smile down at me as I stood. "One on one? Just like we used to."

Serperior hissed with approval.

"Yeah." I nodded, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "Loser buys the alcohol next time we go out right?"

He snorted in response, poking his glasses up higher on his nose and then reaching for a pokeball on his belt—it was damaged and scratched and over two years old, meaning that he planned on fighting with good old Emboar. What a fight that would be.

I watched as he crossed the clearing to the other side, still looking happy and sad and lost all the same time while.

"Deal." He allowed.

And somehow I knew that for the first time I wouldn't be winning.


	43. Chapter 43

…

~One week later~

…

~Hyuu~

"Finally we are making some progress." I sighed a sigh of relief as Kyouhei reached up and stored his things nervously into the overhead compartment for luggage. We didn't have all that much but it was nice to get it out of our way on this tiny two row plane that would take us all the way to Lentimas Town—all the way across the region.

Rosa had called me just the other day, and after countless days before hand (really it was only like five) Kyouhei and I had cracked down on training hard and becoming stronger. It was a good experience in both emotional and physical ways. We worked out at the local gym; running, lifting weights, and swimming in the indoor pool, while our pokemon spent hours sparring together and enhancing their attacks. One day we even found a duo of trainers that offered us a "battle we would never forget" however together tag teaming them we won. It was a fantastic victory and Kyouhei had been of high spirits the rest of that day—allowing me to hold him that night and rub his sore muscles.

Kyouhei seemed to change dramatically over the last week since we had that argument in the hotel room, when I practically tried to rape him (which I regretted now). He seemed to realize that I was serious in a sense, or that he was tired of fighting with me so it was easier to just let me be me and love him. Of course… I wasn't complaining. Hell it was much better than our constant arguments that left me winded and lonely.

Not that we didn't still bicker… I'll be damned if we ever stopped bickering completely—whether it be about the cold weather sweeping Unova, or the fact that Kyouhei didn't think love would benefit him at all.

He still told me every chance he got that he didn't love me, but he had stopped saying he hated me and I was happy enough. He didn't push me away when I tried t touch him or hold him, but his body language often suggested he didn't want to go any further that that.

I didn't try and be sexual with him. I didn't try and help him when I knew he would get angry with me. And most importantly… I didn't try to kiss him.

Even though he had kissed me that night—somehow amazingly enough that boy had pressed his awkward island lips to mine and had shocked me so much that I actually passed out.

I couldn't even remember what it felt like to have his lips touching mine, and yet I couldn't bring myself to force a stolen kiss on him. I wanted him to kiss me again, and I wanted him to do it on his own like last time—I wanted to feel it without blacking out.

So I set a goal for myself not to try anything on him until he gave me another green light.

I was failing miserably because I had already tried to hold his hand twice in the last two days, and each time he just slyly slipped them away into his pockets, giving me a look that was crossed between annoyance and apology—he was getting better at it though.

"It's a good thing that Rosa called you." Kyouhei murmured in a stiff voice. "We would never have known that Skyla was in—what's it called again?"

"Lentimas Town." I said, though I had to admit the name was strange on my tongue as well. It wasn't a popular town and I heard it was at the base of a volcano, which wasn't very promising at all. It wasn't even a dormant volcano, it was hot and fiery as always and the only way to get out of Lentimas is to either take the plane back to Mistralton, or go through it straight to Undella.

I wasn't telling Kyouhei that though… because I wanted to surprise him with the beach since one of the promises I made to him when we started out on this journey was that I would get him to Undella. It was lucky that we got this plane there and I couldn't imagine a better way to make him happy.

The beach also meant more nights out in the ocean—possibly doing things that Kyouhei normally wouldn't do when he was ruffled by the irritations of city-life.

I was hoping that this tiny piece—this reminder—of his home would be enough to make him give me that special green light. I was hoping that for once in my life this plan would work. After all… a plane ride there seemed like a blessing when I had been trying for so long for a miracle.

iIt's better than some stupid fortune cookie/i I thought with a smirk, watching Kyouhei shuffle into the narrow seat closest to the window.

"I wish that Kukui was small enough to be out of her ball." He commented, seeing as the person behind us in was sitting with a pansage perched happily on his shoulder. Like the luggage, pokemon had to be under a certain size to be allowed out of their balls on the planes, and after Alec and Kukui evolved they were too big.

"I know. Alec is probably throwing a fit right now." I murmured, thinking about the silent way the ball felt on my belt. There was no noise or movement or anything and yet I could feel aggravation flitting from it—a sort of aura that told me Alec was one hundred percent PO-ed.

"Oh well." Kyouhei sighed, though looking disappointed as I sat beside him, carefully pushing the middle divider arm rest up so that it was out of our way. I hoped he wouldn't notice, but of course his initial reaction was to push it back down and separate us. I smiled gently at him when he stopped and let it go though, allowing me to sit on the edge of my seat to be nearest to him without actually touching.

"Are you nervous?" I asked after a moment, seeing that he had already fastened his seatbelt for lift off, and was watching carefully out the window at the wind blowing things around harshly. I had to admit it wasn't the best day to go for a flight, but it didn't seem dangerous—and Mistralton had never had a plane crash or error in their history before.

"I'm fine." He murmured, and I could tell that this was about all the talking we would get done in the time being. It was a long flight and Kyouhei didn't seem willing to rest easy quite yet—hopefully once we got in the air there wouldn't be turbulence to disturb him.

Buzzers chimed from above and flight attendants started to roll about the back of the plane, strolling lightly in their heels and short skirts as they checked the seated passengers for their belt buckles as if this was a roller coaster ride. Information started to spew around us about what to do in emergencies and where vomit bags were located and life vests and all sorts of things that no one really paid much attention to (accept Kyouhei, who listened like it was the most important thing I the world).

They announced a departing time only moments away after their list of things to do was over and the flight attendants assured them that everyone was buckled and ready to go. All was quiet, the lights went dim and comfortable, and passengers started to close the shades on their windows to block out the gloom from the outside world.

All was peaceful despite me knowing that this would be a long and tedious flight across Unova. I glanced at Kyouhei again.

Hopefully he would be ok.

…

~N~

Team Plasma was none of our business anymore, and yet… Touya… my dearest Blackie wanted to risk his life because of them.

I told him we could run away together. I told him we could escape and never be seen again—but that would be ok because we would have each other. I told him to bring Serperior, bring his fame and fortune and story-to-tell with him.

Just not to fight anymore. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand the idea of him getting hurt again. He had already "died" right before my eyes. I knew how it felt to lose someone so close to you it felt as though you lost your whole being as well. Why didn't he understand that I just didn't want to feel that way again?

"N I have to do this. Team Plasma is threatening Unova. This is bad!" He insisted, raising his voice as he stared aimlessly into his fridge, his eyes tired for what reason he hadn't told me yet.

Serperior told me though—innocently as always she had told me that Touya and her went out last night for a mock battle and ended up in a real battle with Cheren early this morning. I was… by all means upset about this, but what concerned me more was the fact that Touya hadn't yet told me about it himself—so what else had they done that he couldn't mention?

Glaring across the kitchen I folded my arms, trying to gather my strength not to yell. It was at times like this that I really felt like a violent person because I was just so happy to love him that the idea of not loving him made me angry. It made me feel like an unwilling pokemon in a pokeball—as if I needed to be freed from this trouble and fly away.

Only I needed him to be with me. I wouldn't live without Touya and somehow I knew that this was going to end badly. He was the most stubborn person I had ever met when he wanted to be. But then again so was I…

"Icirrus City was hit by a snowstorm N… not just a flurry a full on storm. And there are people that are hiding—cowering because Team Plasma is threatening them. This is unacceptable, I can't just sit here and do nothing. I'm better than that."

"You're only good enough for me—no one else matters."

"Stop saying that!" He turned, slamming the fridge and his forgotten reasons behind him before glaring at me. "N you know how much you mean to me—I love you—but I can't just forget about everyone else. You remember Touko? She's out there somewhere. You know Cheren, he's my best friend and he could be in danger. And even more important than any of them, my little brother is out there! If I forget about everyone but you then what happens to them?"

I wanted to spit at his reasoning. Touko was a slut with a lot of power and intellect… she was a revolver that shot over and over and over again until she hit her target and as much as I appreciated that in her, I hated it just as much. She used her brain, her strength, and her body to her advantage and since the beginning I hadn't liked her.

Cheren was another story. Cheren was quiet, collected, interesting in a hidden way… and yet I hated him with all my heart. I loathed the idea of that man coming between me and my Blackie. I should be his best friend, not Cheren. I should be his everything. Touko didn't matter when I could replace her. Cheren didn't matter because I SHOULD be replacing him…

But then there was Kyouhei. That poor babe that was so lost and so frightened of his own emotions he was blind. He was oblivious to what was in front of him and what was away from him and the path leading in all directions because he was so afraid. This was… the one person that no matter how hard I tried I could not me. There was a hard line drawn between brothers and lovers… and judging by the look on Touya's face his brother was his first priority.

"You never cared about Kyouhei much before." I hissed. "You forgot he existed for two years before he even came to Unova."

I saw him flinch in pain—which in return made me realize how terribly cruel my words were—before he barred his teeth and his brow fell down.

"All the more reason for me to protect him now."

"You care too much."

"You don't know what it's like." He tried not to let the hate slip into his voice. "You don't know what it's like to know people could be dying when you are supposed to be their protection. Didn't you listen to the news this morning? Goddammit N someone died today!"

"Because of the cold not because of Team Plasma!""

"They caused it!" He yowled. "They made it so cold!"

I wasn't about to argue about a body that was caught in a snowstorm just outside of town—it wasn't anyone important or anyone that mattered to us. I personally thought Touya was stupid to believe that he needed to protect anyone let alone strangers.

"You're… driving a wedge between us." I moved then, intending to take his chin between my thumb and my finger and make him look me in the eyes—I could make him understand.

"Team Plasma is driving a wedge between us." He batted my hand away though, his eyes cold and icy despite such a warm brown color. "And I need to stop them."

"For me?"

"For everyone."

Why did that make me so angry? Knowing that this man could care about others… why did it hurt me? Was it because all my life I never had any love, so now that I found it in someone I wanted them all to myself?

I imagined Touya locked up and chained to a brilliant golden-rail bed sitting at the top of the Team Plasma Castle (which had been destroyed two years ago), which I sat up stroking his hair as if he were a delicate purloin. This would have been the outcome to me winning that final battle that I let him him win—he would have become my pet.

But what hurt more than that was the fact that I knew I didn't want to hurt Touya like that. It was just a corrupt and demented mindset that made me think things like that. I wouldn't hurt him… I couldn't hurt him.

"You're brother can come with us." I enquired, picturing the freckle faced boy chained to my bed beside his brother—they were a good package deal. Almost like buying something and getting something free or half price… Kyouhei really wasn't needed, but it wasn't bad. I could handle an extra package.

What I couldn't handle was the whole goddamn region riding on my shoulders.

"We're not running away from them." He said strictly. "I will not cower when people are in danger."

"Why the FUCK are you so heroic?" I snarled, slamming my hand down on the counter. "I HATE when you act like that!"

"I'm not ACTING like anything N!" He whirled on me, Serperior rising from the commotion as he yelled. "THIS IS HOW I FEEL!"

"You were never a hero—I ALLOWED YOU TO END IT ALL. I TOOK THE HEAT FOR YOU!"

"YOU RAN AWAY!" Suddenly tears were streaming and glass was flying as Touya shoved over a rack of dishes that were dying, sending them shattering across the kitchen floor like chips of white ice. "YOU LEFT WHEN I WAS DYING!"

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE ALREADY DEAD!" I hated seeing him like this… wallowing in so much pain from two years ago, that he buried so deep inside him it took fierce yelling to get it out. He was fuming, his face morphine from hate to pain to hurt as he allowed his mind into that forbidden territory that was the pain of me leaving him.

My heart seemed to crackle and snap my mind back into place as I realize how ridiculous this fight was—how dangerous it was for our relationship.

Shaking I stepped through the glass over to him, not wasting any time as he melted into the shape of me, finding comfort in the pain and pushing his face into my shoulder.

"I—I didn't mean…" I whispered to him, feeling wretched inside. "I—I didn't want to leave you but I had to…"

"Y—You don't know how much it hurt…" He swallowed. "Watching you walk away and not being able to do anything—I couldn't move or talk or even blink. N sometimes I think I was dead too… But then Cheren came and found me and got medics to me fast enough—they barely saved my life. I had broken ribs, my shoulder was popped out of place, there was hardly enough blood in my body. N—I—I needed you. N—Now what if someone needs someone else that Team Plasma takes away from them?"

He clutched at my back with both hands. "Wh—what if someone else has to die?"

Shaking my head and feeling the weight of guilt pressing down on me I held him, wrapping my arms around him and hauling his bare feet out of the glass so that he could sit on the countertop. I rested my cheek against his chest.

"Blackie… I'm sorry…"

He nodded. "M—me too."

"I just don't want to lose you…"

"I—I know… B—But I can't lose to Team Plasma…"

Gritting my teeth I held him closer to me, my heart aching at the thought of going head first back into the mix that was team Plasma. I couldn't do it. Physically or emotionally regardless of what Touya did I could not fight them. I just… I couldn't do it. It would be too dangerous for the both of us—they would hunt Touya and I down especially then.

"You have to let me…" Touya hiccupped. "You have to le—let me fight them."

iYou mean I have to let you go/i I thought selfishly hugging him, trying to squeeze every ounce of love from his body once again, drowning in it like a fish swam in water.

"F—Fine…"


	44. Chapter 44

~Kyouhei~

Things didn't always seem so bad when you were ten thousand million feet above the ground with your stomach snarling but your nerves to shot to eat.

I hated flying almost as much as I hated things like the cold weather and romance… however within the last week or so I had grown quite opted to having Hyuu beside me, and it didn't bother me so much when he did things that normally pissed me off. Like putting that arm rest up when we sat down together—just to exclude the small space between us—I should have been bothered, but I wasn't. Rather I allowed myself to enjoy the ever so slight way he smelt like lemon grass or men's body wash, and I found myself enjoying the slightness in the way he would look at me. It was easy, almost like when we first met and first became friends, and I kept thinking that maybe it wasn't going to be so horrible.

Until I remembered Touya and my mother and father that is—the way their relationships had ended and the way that they suffered for it. Lately though, I felt like maybe I was just trying not to think about it at all, rather than allowing it to bend my feelings.

Not that they weren't already bent…

Taking a deep breath I stared out the window of the plane and down at the blackness that was the sky we flew in—it was already night time and we were about halfway across Unova now. The whole plane was asleep besides Hyuu and I, who were hiding beneath one of our carry-on blankets and trying to keep warm while the air blew.

Despite it all, I couldn't bring myself to dislike this feeling stirring inside of me. The way my heart seemed to flutter while I thought about the way Hyuu's hand was twined with mine s loving and strong but beneath the fabric that hid it from the rest of the plane—not that they would care anyways.

I didn't mind the way we held hands. I didn't mind the way he let me lean on him. And I certainly didn't mind the way he kept silent, not allowing me to remember just what about his voice that annoyed me.

My favorite part about this whole thing though, was how warm it all felt. Not in the literal sense, since I was shivering and he was nuzzling his nose into the blanket, but in the way it felt to be connected by only fingers. The strange way puzzle pieces seemed to fit together—the medicine to the illness that I had been living with for years now.

Was Hyuu curing the hate inside of me? Was he the medication that I needed to let go of all my fears and start over? Was he my rock? Was he—strange as it may seem—someone that I would die for?

I glanced over at his groggy face, though it did not conceal his sparkling purple-red eyes which gleamed with happiness and made my fingers twitch. I wasn't sure if I would die for him yet or not, but like love itself it wasn't something I wanted to think about. I was kind of over the whole "thinking" things through anyways. I was ready to just live in this precious moment and suffer to consequences later.

I didn't know when that had changed in me… but I knew I was ready now…

"You're wide awake." He murmured, his lips curling up at the ends slightly. "How are you not tired?"

I thought about the way the tiny city lights would flicker when we passed over towns here and there. I couldn't fall asleep because there was too much to be nervous about—too much to think about.

All I could do was shrug though. Hyuu wouldn't understand because he wasn't that kind of person—he was much too easy going to be fazed about things like I was. Especially when I was fazed about things like emotions and feeing towards people.

I think a small frown may have come across my face in that moment but it wasn't something I noticed because I felt like I was frowning—it was the way Hyuu shifted over to me, plucking his hand from mine under the blanket and wrapping it around my back. He pulled me down softly into his shape, being confident rather than hesitant for once. I was disgruntled but not disturbed by the motion—he was warm.

"What do you think Rosa is doing right now?" He mused, probably to change the subject. "Or your brother?"

I thought swiftly, reeling through the faces in my brain and then decided that I didn't care so much—I was comfortable not to think about anything at the moment, so rather than answering Hyuu, I snuggled up into him even more, playing with the end of his shirt beneath the blanket.

Why did this feel so damn good? Why was it like I was walking on air? Like surfing a wave without water beneath you—and yet no possible way to fall off and hurt yourself. I felt tingly, strange, blooming with emotion as he rubbed my back, and then my neck with the large flat palm of his hand. He ran his hands through my hair, back down, across my shoulder and the length of my bicep again until I closed my eyes feeling utterly relaxed.

How strange… the way he touched me… I could feel every single goosebump rising and falling on my skin, and then when he stalled a bit, or changed direction it was as if my heart couldn't counteract the movement and stop the side effects. I shivered, held my breath or gasped slightly—I couldn't tell—and then breathed out a stubborn sigh that intended to pull with it the affects of being a teenage boy with hormones.

I crossed my legs in frustration—WHY? Why was it when I just wanted things to be simple and quiet I had to feel this way?

And of course to make things worse Hyuu noticed, casting me a smile of approval as my face turned a terrible red.

"It's nice…" he whispered. "But it's a good thing we're on a plane… I have to help myself."

"Shuddap Hyuu." I buried my face into his side, though there was no real bite to my words. Just the nagging feeling of my shorts tenting around my crotch because I couldn't help myself—my body somehow always felt more in control.

"Or do you want to go in the bathroom and take care of it?" He suggested, his lips twitching slightly with amusement and pity. "I—I—

"No. Hyuu shuddap." I repeated a little louder, feeling like everyone in the plane was staring at me—when in reality no one was. The lights were all off and the sound of peaceful snoring was crowding the small space.

I tried to strengthen and stabilize my breathing as Hyuu held me perhaps a little more tenderly, as if he was afraid to jostle such a tender muscle between my legs just because it was erect. I wanted to groan with anger, and yet at the same time I could feel my thighs loosening their hold because somehow this was just something I couldn't control.

Hyuu shifted down slightly, swallowing as he went and then reaching up to turn our tiny light off. It was impossible to see the people sitting across from us in the isle, so I couldn't imagine anyone could see us either, even without the blanket around us I doubted anyone would know—and yet I was frantic.

Panicky and silent I gnawed on my lower lip, feeling Hyuu's warm hand slide forward on my thigh, creeping down the length of my pant seems and then up again. It was a horrible feeling; a horrible ugly feeling that made me part my lips in agony.

Sweet fucking agony.

Not now… not while I couldn't defend myself without making a lot of noise.

Hyuu leant over carefully, pinning me in the seat with the blanket still swathed around us, though leaning halfway over me and pushing my head up against the window. Gently, somehow seductively he pressed his lips just under my jaw, and in the middle of this whole fucking plane I gasped.

Covering my mouth I felt him nibble on my collar bone, and while screams of "rape" tried to escape my throat I couldn't allow myself that kind of glory. I held my breath instead, again naturally spreading my legs again so that he could palm the bulge there.

"I—I ha—hate you." I hissed between my fingers covering my mouth. "Nuu—Nuh!"

"Shhh." He insisted, finding the zipper on my shorts and pulling it down. "Just don't think about it…"

I pushed up my middle fingers at him as he worked over me, making sure that I stayed quiet while his maroon eyes flickered. If I didn't know any better I would have sworn he was laughing—it pissed me the fuck off, and had I more room to move I would have kicked him.

"Precum…" his fraction of a whisper made it to my ears as his fingertips made it past the fine layer of boxer material and to the delicate skin beneath. He pulled me out, revealing if it weren't for the blanket that shielded us, and giving me a gentle test rub—his thumb and one finger stroking the lean shaft. I jumped slightly, clawing at my own face to hold my voice inside of me.

"Oh…" Hyuu breathed, kissing my neck. "I—I would suck you off… b—but—

"Shuddap." I squeaked, squeezing my eyes shut as an immense pressure laid itself upon my groin. I hadn't jacked off in years, since the obvious solution had always been cold showers for me, so this was something I couldn't even comprehend.

And I had nowhere to go, no place to escape to.

"You have to feel good." Hyuu insisted. "No one can deny feeling good like this—you are hard after all."

I bit down on my thumb harshly, drooling in the same fashion my dick did and arching my back.

"You're so cute…"

I wanted to tell Hyuu to shut the fuck up and stop being a freak, that this was completely wrong and if a flight attendant walked by we could get in huge trouble—possibly kicked off the plane at the nearest airport. And then what? Then we are really fucking screwed—I'd murder his ass.

He stroked me lightly, pumping that delicate shaft as if he had done this a million times—which frightened me a little. It was all I could do not to throw my head back and wail to heavens about how much I fucking hated this with all my heart—and yet I held composure and focused on the way the substantial head of my erection leaked and succumbed to his needy ways.

Moments of eager stroking, and then very slightly dry humping happened, and then the climax of such a hideous crime that Hyuu had committed. While Hyuu used one had to cater to my dick, the other seemed to find interest in my chest and nipples, and upon rolling one under his fingertips I came.

I came hard and fast and a lot. Spritzing three or four times up the length of my stomach and under the material of my shirt—which I realized I would half to wear until we were off this plane. Even the smell of cum seemed to get to me as sexual tension flitted through the air—and Hyuu shielding me from anyone that may wake up and look down our row. The blanket made it hot, the fabric and slimy semen made me itchy, and the intensity of his eyes were burning straight through to my soul it seemed.

I released then, after straining for moments on end I let go and just flopped back down in the seat, another small stream of cum slipping out of me and leaving my balls with an empty feeling. My muscles retrieved from their strain, and my heart seemed to want to leap from my chest.

"F—fuck Kyouhei you got it everywhere." Hyuu's excited and quiet voice was followed by his cum-covered hand which he brought up out of the blanket and stared at as if it were a precious jewel—or more likely thousands of tiny liquid jewels beading down his wrist.

"Mmmnrr." I grunted, yanking the blanket halfway off of him and hiding beneath it now that his hand was away. Disgusted as I was I realized that there was nothing more I could really do besides… rub it into my own clothes.

Irritated I reached out and grabbed Hyuu's shirt and smeared it across my skin, then around the shape of my slowly deflating dick.

I could see how much he wanted to argue with me or stop me from doing so—but he fucking deserved it. I tucked myself back into my pants with a small huff—ignoring my racing heart—and then shoving up against Hyuu while casting him a glare.

My whole body was shaking as I forced him away from me and cleared the pathway to the isle, where I could see a flight attendant coming this way—I swallowed, hoping she couldn't smell the thick liquids on me like I could.

"Bring napkins!" Hyuu hissed as I stomped away, using the seats as rails to steady myself from my own spinning head. That's all I needed—to pass out now because of this.

The flight attendant sent me a cautious look as I crossed her path and headed for the bathroom in the very back of the plane.

However suddenly something jolted, and out from under my went my feet and with a small yelp I hit the floor.

A horrible, suddenly screaming loud noise erupted as the tiny lights on the isle sparked like fire, and the radio screeched above our heads and all coherency faded from my mind. I forgot all about Hyuu and I in that tiny fraction of a moment, and while trying to right myself the sound of children crying and mothers wailing and travelers gasping and grabbing their small pokemon sounded, I felt completely weightless.

_P—PRE—PREPARE FOR—ROU—ROUGH—LAA—ND—NG! E—ENGA—SEE—BELTS! W—WE'VE BE—BEEN HI—HT!_

The whole plane was rattling like a tin can, shaking, vibrating and crackling as something happened—and from out a nearby window that hadn't been shielded I could see an enormous flame grow atop the wing of the plane.

Screams and cries of terror erupted around me as I tried to see in the dark and with the isle lights flashing in my face like strobes—my trembling hands not strong enough to find my way up the side of someone's seat to stand.

"KYOUHEI!" I heard Hyuu's voice screech past some others, and my initial reaction was to call back out to him—accept my mouth wouldn't move.

The plane was spinning and I could feel it. Like the way it felt once when I broke a surfboard in half and went tumbling into the biggest wave I had ever seen. I felt like a ragdoll, being thrown into the iron poles the chairs were bolted in with.

"H—Hy—

"KYOUHEI!" My voice was called again—this time louder above the static and screeching radio and the chaos of the passengers.

Fire went up then. Somehow breaking through a window on the plane and… exploding into a nearby passengers seat. The whole right side of the plane was demolished… it had to be. Smoke went up in a flurry and before my very eyes I could see passengers reaching for airbags or just falling out of the plane to their deaths.

"HYUU!" I gripped a metal bar of the nearest chair, still flailing on the plane's floor as the right wall started to strip away from air.

"KY—KYOU!" The voice nearest to me came than, and within one terrifying moment I felt the weight of someone pushing down.

It was Hyuu, by the way he smelt slightly of lemon grass as well as men's body wash I could tell. He perched himself over me, holding the same railing and squishing me between the chair, the floor, and his own body. I couldn't even think straight to realize what was going on in this moment of hell and terror. But… I knew was thing was for sure.

Hyuu stared down at me with shocked and loving eyes, and his muscles straining to keep me furthest away from the plane's crumbling wall.

"I LOVE YOU!" He shielded me as the plane went spiraling down to earth.

….Risking his life for me…


	45. Chapter 45

~Rosa~

"Shit—SHIT LIL' SHIT MOVE YOUR FATASS FASTER!" I clung to the heaving and grunting Arcanine as his mighty paws dug holes into the earth, so fast and furious that I could hardly hold on—and yet we had to go faster.

"Extreme speed dammit!" I snarled, wrapping my arms through the space between his hot and thick fur and the collar around his neck—I couldn't fall off, not now. Now while the news started blaring about a plane crash—no—an attack on a plane and then the crash that came from it.

This was the plane to Lentimas Town—where I had saddled up for a few days to wait for Hyuu because I felt like we had some unfinished business to attend to. More or less… I missed talking to him and I wanted to apologize honestly for not being the best friend when he was in pain.

I knew that this guilt would never subside if Hyuu didn't make it out of that crash alive—thus we ran at lightning speed, me threatening to fall off while arcanine followed the smell of fuel and fire—I trusted his nose more than I trusted his strength because of how long he had been sniffing out food and scraps around the dinner table—not to mention just how short an amount of time it had been since he was able to evolve.

Upon adventuring inside Reversal mountain with Bianca, Juniper's faithful assistant, I happened to come across a wild flame colored stone—what I thought was just a simple piece of amber. However Bianca was able to tell me that it was much more than that, and that my Growlithe could grow if I touched it to him.

I didn't believe her at first, I mean… the odds of finding a fire stone just out of nowhere was huge, but I wasn't objective to try. So I did, I pressed that pretty little fire stone to Growlithe's head and within moments he had crumbled, whined, screamed in agony, and grew.

He grew upwards about five feet—so that his head was at my shoulder—and outwards about four. He was massive, a huge beast of a pokemon with about as much pure muscle as I had pure astonishment. My Lil' Shit wasn't so little anymore.

But he was still a Lil' Shit regardless of his actual size—he would always be my Lil' Shit.

"I—I't can't be that far!" I huffed, my legs shaking from the grip they had on the huge Arcanine's rib cage. My hands felt like they were slowly burning because of the pokemon's temperature, and I was sweating heavily.

Hyuu had to be alive though… he just had to—it had just happened and it wasn't that far out of Lentimas town—just past the ocean river that crawled up the south end of Unova.

My stomach was feeling sick, my head was spinning with doubt, and I knew that this was my entire fault. Somehow my best friend had gotten on a plane I recommended to him and this was the result. This hideous disaster out of nowhere—who the fuck shoots down a plane for no reason?

However I knew the reason—the reason was that it was Team Plasma who shot it down and they had no real reason other than wanting to cause pain and destruction.

I vowed right then and there to defeat every member of that shallow organization and make them regret what they had done.

Sirens began to wail in the distance as we approached the last layer of trees before the ocean river which turned the ground moist and made Lil' Shit hesitant. Of course I wouldn't be able to get him to cross the water for me, but luckily Serperior was a strong swimmer and would help me through the deepest parts of it. I envied that snake and his ability to be so fearless in an element that wasn't even his own.

"Al—Alright!" Finally we halted by the riverside, skidding to a stop so that I nearly flew off into the water before the fire pokemon realized how close he came to going in as well. I jumped off of him, shaking off my hands and imagining the icy water lapping at my skin after all that heat from his body—it would be dramatic but it would feel good in this warm summer night.

Quick as I could my ball handling skills came into play and Arcanine was in the ball and Serperior was out, leaping into the ocean river and submerging for a moment until I managed to follow. I held my things closely, hoping that I wasn't forgetting anything important that would get wet—pokegears were waterproof nowadays so that wasn't a worry.

Gripped Serperior's thick leafed shoulders we swam across the river, fighting the waves and the current and the saltwater getting in my mouth while trying not to let washed up seaweed cling to my legs or scratch me—above my head flew two or three helicopters, search lights buzzing about and flashing at me as they went searching for the plane crash that had to be close by now. They were circling too, which meant that they were landing.

Breathing heavily and spitting out water I reached the shore, shivering now and flipping my wet hair out of my face I crawled up the spindly grass, using what bit of strength I still had in my weak hands to clutch at the dirt- though I slipped back and failed until Serperior crawled out ahead of me and wrapped his large tail around my shoulder and hauled me out swiftly. I swore—these big ass pokemon were almost too strong for me to handle. I couldn't even comprehend the sheer muscle behind their skin.

"T—Thanks!" I coughed, pushing forward again into the next layer of trees. "Now come on! We're close!"

I could see search lights flicketing about in the distance, and the wail of medic helicopter sirens as they landed and started rushing about. My heart was screaming in fear for what I would find upon the wreck. Bodies? Blood? Destruction? I didn't want to think about it; all I knew was that Hyuu had to be ok.

Panting I reached the destroyed and fire swamped clearing.

…

~N~

_NEWS REPORTER SPEAKING—IT SEEMS THAT THE GREAT CHAMPION OF UNOVA HAS SHOWN UP TO HELP DIG OUT THE FEW SURVIVRS FROM THE PLANE CRASH THIS EVENING—RIDING ON WHAT APPEARS THE BE THE LEGENDARY BEAST RESHIRAM, UR HERO HAS COME—BLACK! BLACK!_

Even the reporter couldn't contain herself long enough to give a coherent response to the citizens watching in terror as people, family, friends that may have been on that plane were stuck in the mess, dead or alive. I stared at the television screen in longing, wishing that somehow I could do more than lend Touya my Reshiram to get their fast enough—since Zekrom was still with Touko and the waste of time that would be was immense.

I didn't even know why Touya believed this was his duty to go to the plane crash site—it wanst as if anyone he knew would be there. But rather his opinion on the matter was that if he could give people hope then maybe they would be a little more at ease. He wanted to help people, and more than that he wanted to protect them and make them feel safe in Unova again.

Team Plasma caused that plane crash however… and I knew that at this point in time Touya wanted no business sitting around and being a shadow anymore—he wanted to be the savior, the great Black he was meant to be.

I both hated and loved this part of him.

_IT SEEMS ANOTHER UNLIKELY PAIR OF BOTH TRAINER AND BEAST HAVE SHOW AS WELL—WH—WHAT IS GOING ON UNOVA? IS THIS A SIGN?_ The fuzzy-headed reporter screamed as a second beast flew into the clearing. Zekrom and Touko had arrived not a moment later and I could feel—even miles away from them—the confliction in the hearts of such powerful legendary dragons. White and Black in the same clearing, looking at each other but sharing the same purpose. Touko and Touya were shown through the live camera's for only a moment, and I could see the sheer determination in their eyes.

Like trainer like pokemon… those two would never change… how strange… it was almost as if I was watching a small portion of my life two years ago unfold before me. Those two trainers so willing to please—I imagined Cheren and Bianca rushing out to meet them as well, to complete the circle of four inseparable friends that I had never made it into.

If it weren't for the fact that Touya was there I would have turned the television off and wallowed in hate for this position I was in—unable to stop Team Plasma because they would stop me first, and unable to bear the jealousy in my heart for those who could stand beside my love—my dearest Blackie—and fight with him while I couldn't.

I was a coward. If there was anything I learned in this life of mine it was that. I was a selfish coward that couldn't bring myself to accept it, though all the while being in denial wasn't exactly helping me. I felt wretched, completely and utterly disarmed watching my Blackie fight a battle he didn't even cause—he shouldn't have any part of.

Scowling down at the floor in misery I wondered where Team Plasma was now… and what they planned on doing from here on out until they got what they wanted—world domination?

I always assumed that Team Plasma's ultimate goal was domination, even while I was their leader, speaking out about liberation and pokemon rights, they had always been snickering behind my back, using me as their puppet—their hideous mascot to get people to succumb peacefully to their greed.

I hated Team Plasma. I hated them with all my might. I hated that Touya felt it was his job to be involved with them as well.

I hated them for everything they had ever done to me.

And I hated that I couldn't do anything about them.

….

~Touya~

"Hey! Black!" Touko shouted at me from atop Zekrom, who looked extremely disgruntled by my obvious appearance atop his counterpart—Reshiram. The two seemed to keep their grateful distance as my close friend waved me down. "We're tracking Plasma! Come on!"

"You know where they are!?" I shouted, not wanting to bring Reshiram any closer to the electric dragon, but needing to hear Touko over the crackle of fire and medics rushing about. She was in her steel-to knee high boots, her tight but worn jeans, and a tank top that looked ready to burst around her busty top—however undaunted by the female anatomy I looked past that and could see in her eyes was sheer determination.

"They are heading north!" She yelled back to me. "We can catch them—they ar—

A jolt came from somewhere close by, making Zekrom flinch with anger as if he were struck by something. There was an obvious lapse in Touko's voice as she whirled around, seeing that someone had landed behind her.

I peered across the small clearing in awe as a Shadow Triad member—as stoic and cold as I remembered—stood beside her, placing his large hand on her shoulder and leaning to whisper something in her ear. I wouldn't believe what I saw when she accepted this gesture, and then turned back to me with a horrific expression, muscles coiling as if she were ready to leap at the news this… this shadow presented her.

"TOUYA YOUR BROTHER WAS IN THE WRECK!" She howled at me, and I could hardly stop my ears from ringing at the words.

K—Kyouhei?

Instinctually I snapped back around to look at the half destroyed plane and the fire that was inhabiting it—and through the mess of medics rushing people into their helicopters I could see the small shape of my little brother, Kyouhei, hobbling out with the help of a medic stabilizing him.

"NO!" I released my hold on Reshiram's hot fur and slipped off the side of her, not taking into the account the fall or the camera's watching me as I hit the summer-charred grass below and started racing forward, heart pounding as I shoved broadcasters out of my way.

"KYOUHEI!" I called to him, and he looked as if he had just seen a ghost—but my relief was extreme at his coherency. The medic helping him walk eyed me suspiciously, however knowing that I was the "great Black" couldn't try and stop me—not with two legendary beasts looming over my protection only yards away.

"Kyouhei!" I stopped the medic in the middle of the clearing just a ways off from the plane wreck, pulling my hands forward ever so gently and taking my little brothers face in my hands. He was burned slightly from the looks of it—and through the fear in his eyes I remembered what it was like to suffer from my own fire-on-flesh experience.

His face was clean though so I touched him gently, mouth agape at the sight of his bloody shoulder and chest through his clothes and the way he seemed to lull about what he was going to say.

"H—Hyuu." He croaked, tears swimming in his pale milky brown eyes, falling down his freckled cheeks.  
Dilapidated he pushed away from the medic and onto me, wrapping his arms around my neck and letting out a painful, broken sob.

"Ky—Kyouhei… A—Are you hurt?" I could feel him losing himself on me, his body succumbing to light-headedness as the weight gathered on me.

Carefully I bent and pulled him up into my arms to cradle him—in enough time to see his eyes loll back. My heart began to pound as I made eye contact with the medic.

"You fucking heal him!" I snarled, suddenly my voice raising in horror as the man and the camera crew seemed disgruntled. I couldn't quite care though. And though I didn't usually like to use my title to my advantage, this was one of the rare times when I felt the need to be selfish. Tears started to swell in my eyes as I cursed through my teeth.

"If you're going to fucking save anyone save him!" I cried, seeing that upon my demand a stretcher was coming my way. "He's my brother!"


	46. Chapter 46

~Kyouhei~

He risked his life for me. Arms holding me, pressing me under and between the bars of the aisle seats and then blocking the opening so that it was almost impossible for something to harm me. Though the wreck had been so bad that it damn near ruined me, and mentally I couldn't stand the idea of flying again, I felt like maybe a part of me had been reborn or rekindled after the crash. I felt like a huge hole in my chest had actually been filled, and it was a mountainous wave now, pouring throughout my body in an attempt at understanding just where this emotion had gone for so long.

I didn't understand how emotions could just leave people like mine seemed to have done after my parents split up and Touya left me on the island of Mintonga alone for two years. It was a mystery to me, though after long hours of contemplation I had to come to terms with the fact that it wasn't my emotions returning to me, it was emotions I had never felt before fueling those that were weakest in my body.

Before the crash my strongest emotion had to be regret, or maybe anger, or fear, but now… somehow the only thing swelling in my chest was… appreciation?

No, that wasn't it. It was stronger than that—it was a full on need now. Not just some petty wanting like appreciation sometimes came with.

I had changed.

The moment that plane hit the earth below and metal went exploding left and right, and things caught flame and people lost their loved ones and their lives… It was as if all this happened for some horrible reason—to give me back a piece of who I was. Or who I could be.

The plane had been hit by none other than Team Plasma, and I came to find out that upon our crash landing I had been bruised, but not broken between the bars of the seats and the floor and Hyuu's body. Though when the plane landed it had crushed the seats above me and pinned me down so that there was no way I could get out until someone found me and used a crowbar on the metal poles.

I was coherent at this point in time, watching the medics rush to get me out while Hyuu lay only inches away, face covered in blood and fire coming closer, threatening to lick him with their ravishing flames as if he were the sweetest treat they could find. I had screamed for him, making myself lightheaded as the smoke made my lungs weak. In the end I knew that Hyuu was taken out, however I didn't know if he was dead or alive at the time—and seeing someone's lifeless body as if they could be dead is probably the scariest thing I've ever been through.

The medics got me out and a single man helped me walk away from the devastation though I was trembling and horrified. There was blood in my mouth, there were rips in my clothes, and a gash in my shoulder where part of the seat had crushed me—I didn't even notice that pain until later though, waking up with stitches in the hospital, and having my brother looming over me with wide eyes.

Touya had been there, somehow when I needed him most—just before I passed out—he had caught me and given me a tiny fraction of hope. It was… as if my days as a child on the island had returned to me for a moment, and he was there to comfort me when I was upset, or he was bandaging my knee when I scuffed it, or… or he just loved me again.

I took a long hard look at my life while I lay in bed under the doctor's orders, and I realized that more than anything, after Touya left me on Mintonga, I wasn't just lonely, but hurt. I felt betrayed—like he didn't love me like he used to. That brotherly love that had always been there for me. It had been the only love I had ever seen, since our parents only ever fought before they got divorced. And then when I came to Unova to rekindle that love the first time, (though I wasn't exactly open minded about it) I was disturbed by the idea of my brother loving someone else and having changed because of that. It ruined me, it scarred me and my emotions. It… it made me forget what it was like to have someone love you.

And Hyuu loved me. Dead or alive that boy was always going to love me, even when I was extremely hurtful to him he was always going to somehow, amazingly, love me.

And that wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Hyuu had to love someone heartless and cruel like me.

But I was glad he did.

And I was glad—no—I was rapturous about him being alive. I was so damn happy it hurt, because after a day of being bed-ridden myself, and then a day of waiting to know if Hyuu was even going to WAKE UP, I felt as though all my hope had been taken away from me.

During this hopeless period of time I learned a lot though. I learned that my brother was going to fight Team Plasma again, and that Rosa wasn't as big a bitch as I thought she was. I learned that together we as human beings cared about one another, and I learned that no matter what we were always going to have each other—my brother insisted that much. I learned… or rather realized that my brother never stopped loving me at all, and that he was probably the only stable person I had in my life.

I also learned a little bit about Touya's lover, the mysterious N, who had been so infatuated with me before he was reunited with my brother. Aparently N was once the leader of Team Plasma, and that he was beaten and abused as a child, and he was raped as a teenager, and as a young adult he was a king. Though always under the puppet master's (his father, Ghetsis) strings, N had been something far more than just another trainer. N could also talk to pokemon, amazingly enough he understood their language and… it… it killed me inside when he told me the few short and sweet things he overheard Kukui say about me.

Kukui really did love me, more than she could express. She told N that I was always going to be her best friend, her partner, her master, whatever I wanted her to be. She told N that she would give her life for me, she told him that she would never stop fighting, that she would always want to be the best for me.

I couldn't stand these things because… Kukui's pokeball had been lost in the plane wreck as well as Alec's, Hageshi's, and Huko's, and for two days I was in misery thinking that my beloved partners—Kukui especially—had been destroyed in the fire. I hadn't slept, I hadn't eaten, I hadn't even breathed correctly for those horrible forty eight hours. And I didn't even have Hyuu at this point. I was so lost.

But I had my brother, and I had N; who was surprisingly the best person to talk to when I felt like I was going to break down and shatter—because when I looked into his gentle emerald eyes I somehow knew that he understood how I felt. He would say things to me, and under the careful eye of Touya, he would kiss my forehead as if I were his beloved baby brother as well. And I felt better. Even if just a tiny bit… I felt better.

On the third day—the morning of the day Hyuu finally woke up—Touko, my brother's old friend came to the hospital with a package, and before she gave it to us she stopped and said she had explaining to do.

She told us everything she knew about Team Plasma, and their goals to freeze Unova and then slowly take over it with the help of a third legendary dragon—Kyurem apparently.

I didn't know much about this ice dragon, but I listened carefully about its tales of being some product of a meteorite, and theories of it being the "middle grey" of Reshiram and Zekrom, and many more that no one knew for sure. It was all very complicated, and I couldn't keep my mind focused on it while I was thinking about everything else I had lost in the short few days beforehand.

However I did pay attention when she started describing the Shadow Triad to us—a group of three "dead" bodies that were able to transport themselves through space to other places. They were… teleporters? I didn't know is that was the correct term or not but apparently they worked for the old Team Plasma and shared a common goal that N had when he was king. Like him, TWO of them—Kayne and Bobby were their names—honestly believed that liberation was the best solution to the world. However Tate, the third member had always been against Team Plasma. Back then and now he hated them with all his heart. He wanted to stop them. He wanted to get revenge on them too.

Touko… well she was marrying Tate. This both infuriated and relieved N with a passion. Apparently Tate and N had a history together—though that was a story for another day. My brother was accepting of this, and he even shook the triad member's hand in appreciation, saying that they should be working together sometime soon.

Tate rejected this offer though, and said that he worked alone, and my brother had to humbly accept that since… well there really was no way to argue with Tate. If you saw him… you would understand.

One more interesting detail about the shadow triad member was the fact that he already knew Hyuu, amazingly enough this strong, elegant, and confident man had saved Hyuu's ass in a Team Plasma accident back in Driftveil when I wasn't around. Rosa remembered him, though she had the same attitude towards him that N did, not appreciating his "saving" act on Hyuu at all.

Tate said he remembered Hyuu and owed him an apology for something—he wouldn't say what—and in the end that apology had been what Touko brought with her in a package.

Our pokeballs. Tate had mucked about the wreckage of the plane crash and all the baggage until he found every single pokeball. He said that all the survivors would have their pokemon delivered back to them through Touko, but he wanted to make sure that Hyuu and I got ours personally.

I couldn't believe it when the triad member, rippling with muscle and strength, placed the three pokeballs back into my hand so gently, and then even softer in my other hand, places Hyuu's.

Alec, Kukui, Huko, and Hageshi's pokeballs were dented and scratched and even charred from the fire, but they were still workable. Amazingly enough the only one that didn't make it out alive was Hyuu's Pidove… which, sad as it was, was not that big of a deal considering what we could have lost.

In a hospital room with too many people around I reunited with my pokemon, reaching hysterics as Kukui hugged me so tightly, not knowing what happened exactly, but knowing that we had almost died. She knew that things had been a close call—she just knew. Huko was in the worst shape out of any of them, having been in the most dented of all the balls, he was beat up himself, and in the accident apparently he had been harmed with the ball itself. Huko lost his left eye—how? Well N said that Huko didn't even know, but that he wasn't worried about it.

I remembered vaguely how disturbed I had been when Touya showed me his crippled pokemon so long ago… and I realized that this was no different. Though by accident or sheer bad luck, this cripple that Huko now had was the same kind of thing Touya's Zebstrika and Sawsbuck had. But I wasn't upset like I had been back that—I understood now that battle scars were nothing to be ashamed of. We were a team. We would fail or survive together, regardless of the things in our way.

Hageshi, who I had been slightly suspicious of before this crash, turned into the most loving pokemon I ever met. He wrapped all eleven feet of his thick body around me and squeezed so tight that it made Touya flinch and N laugh—he said Hageshi was so happy to see me, and that the snake didn't know if I had abandoned it or not. He too was relieved.

Alec was perfectly fine when I let him out of his ball, but he was sinking slowly into a depression that I could relate to almost too much. He didn't know if his trainer was going to wake up or not, and even with Kukui and me trying to comfort him he had begun to make himself ill—I ended up having Touya take him to a pokemon center for some treatment so that he could at least keep up his strength (N said that nothing would cure a broken heart though, so I worried.)

Hours after Alec's trip to the pokemon center, and after Touko and Tate left and Hyuu's mother and little sister finally showed up, finally… FINALLY Hyuu woke up.

It had been the longest, most painful three days of my life, but… seeing his lovely maroon eyes open…

Somehow I knew it was going to be okay. Somehow… I had changed.

I no longer feared the emotions that I held for him.

I was just so happy to actually have emotions at all.

I was so happy to have him.

…

~Hyuu~

After too long it seemed… I realized that I was capable of waking up. And then after another long, countless long period of time I realized that maybe I could take that capability and act on it. However, my body hurt so I decided not to, and then I waited some more. And waited and thought and waited and longed to feel normal again… and then finally just when it felt like maybe I was ready to wake up…

I decided that it was almost too comfortable to move, and then contemplating that made me take longer and in the long run it just wasn't happening.

I wouldn't have woken up at all if it weren't for the fact that I remembered who I was and what I was doing again.

Hyuu, pokemon trainer with five badges, one main partner, on a journey around Unova trying to get to Undella Town—with me was the stubborn and headstrong island boy with the beautiful freckled face named Kyouhei.

I remembered then, suddenly out of nowhere just what my purpose was again.

I loved Kyouhei, and I wanted him to love me so of course I had to wake up. OF COURSE.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I certainly knew that it wasn't this—it wasn't going to be waking up and reeling with my ears ringing to the beat of a hospital beeper, the heart monitors that's seemed to sound lulling and lonely.

My eyes came open in a flash, and suddenly all the motions returned to my body—a sort of reverse feeling in the pit of my stomach, like you get when you are just about to fall asleep, and then you jolt awake and your legs spasm.

Accept this was worse; this was me jolting and gasping as if I had been underwater for days—no—YEARS and just got to the surface. My lungs screamed in pain and my legs seemed to shake, not to mention the lights from the walls and the window nearby seemed to blind me to no end.

And then I was surrounded—so suddenly everything seemed to move in fast motion or like I was stuck in a glitch or in slow motion. I shivered, the feeling of… well… ifeeling/i came back over me and suddenly it was able to move my toes once again, and my throat, though parched was willing to make noise. Also with this sudden burst of movement I felt the sharp pains and stiffness of being stuck in one spot—nerved were shot it seemed, and my neck wasn't having it when I tried to turn and look around.

"Hyuu!"

"Hyuu!"

"Oh my Arceus—Finally!"

"Hyu—

The sounds of my name in familiar voices came to me, and I could sense the way everything seemed to change then; from a comfortable calm to a troubled hectic—but relieved and alluring brilliance that was survival.

Nothing made sense to me, but I realized that I was in a hospital, and that my mother, my little sister, Rosa, and—most importantly—Kyouhei were standing around me. Their eyes like fire crackers ready to go off and their mouths twitching with the desire to smile. My mother wiped tears from her eyes and Lizzie couldn't stop herself from letting out a shrill wail of excitement, while Rosa just bared the truth before her—she looked to be upset about something—and Kyouhei…

Kyouhei…

The pain in my chest seemed to sting like a poison barb for a moment, and then slowly like my eyes adjusting to the light I found myself curling with delight. A sudden sheer happiness and light feeling and yet so much pain in my muscles I didn't know what to do with myself. I shivered a lovely aching shiver as the freckled boy looked over at me above the bed.

"K—Kyou…" My hand came up shaking slightly, trying to hold onto the new strength in my limbs and touch his precious face.

"Dammit Hyuu." He cursed, biting his lip as a swell of emotion lit up his milky brown gaze.

"W—what?" I felt my fingertips brush his tender cheek as he pushed his face into my palm.

Closing his eyes and pressing his hand against mine he whispered.

"Thank you…"


	47. Chapter 47

~Hyuu~

"I'm ok Lizzie girl~ really." I patted my little sister on the head as my mother tried to usher her out the hospital room door—it had been three days since I woke up, and six days since the plane crash, and I was well off enough so that no one had to worry about me anymore. Of course… I was happy to have people that love me around me, but it was a bit smothering after a while.

Of course though…seeing Lizzie again after so long of not… I hugged her tightly to me, kissed her cheek harshly and sent her away giggling with strained tears in her eyes.

"Love you big bwuther!" She waved her pudgy hand at me before my mother gave me a small smile and a roll of her eyes—she was a serious and strict woman that could come off rather cold sometimes, but even so I knew she only wanted what benefited me most.

"Love you Liz..." I murmured. "Thanks for coming—Mom? Love you too!"

"Call us soon Hyuu, we love you." She said in a slightly sad voice before closing the door, leaving the room to Kyouhei, Kukui, Alec and I.

I sighed, gritting my teeth as my bruised and sensitive ribs felt the weight of my lungs against them. I was pretty badly damaged after the crash—though luckily nothing was officially broken—a few fractures and some stitches in my wrist where a sharp piece of metal slit the skin open. The rest of my cuts had been shallow enough to heal on their own.

Apparently after the crash I had been in terrible shape, not strong enough to be coherent, but not out long enough to be considered in a coma. My heart had been at a strong rate the whole time, but my mind had been elsewhere—thinking about why not to and why to wake up. In my head I knew it had been a black pool of incoherency that I was drowning in for so long. Two days at the most before I woke up, and then began the long healing process.

My shoulder had been dislocated, tendons in my leg had been torn, and all in all I didn't feel like I would recover. It was misery for a short period of time while I endured the pain even behind pain killers, seeing the black and blue bruises on my ribs and back and various other places that were affected by the blast.

"Are you in pain?" Kyouhei murmured, sitting next to the bed I sat cross-legged in. It wouldn't be much longer until I would be admitted, but it was beginning to feel like a lifetime of waiting around. Kukui and Alec were getting antsy as well, and the smell of alcohol cleaner was starting to make me sick.

I perched my lips in consideration, straightening my back to an arch that didn't feel quite right—I could feel my back rippling, but cracking where it was so stiff from doing nothing for the last three days.

"I'm ok." I announced, though I couldn't deny it when I winced in pain. "Sort of… I'm getting better."

Alec piped up at my side, butting my shoulder ever so slightly with boredom and appreciation—he wasn't fairing as well as Kukui though she wanted to get out of here too.

"Sorry Buddy." I brought my hand up slowly and rubbed his head—the stitches in my writs felt strange at the action, but I knew I would get over it soon. "I wish we could leave too."

"M—maybe my brother and N will take them out for some exorcize?" Kyouhei suggested, making a spark of distaste spark within me.

"I don't like that N guy."

Kyouhei gave me an exasperated look. "He's nice."

"He's a weirdo." I countered. "And I can't believe that he stalked you just because you reminded him of Touya. That's creepy."

"B—but look at where it got him. I mean, he wasn't wrong in stalking me. He did find my brother."

I didn't understand the relationship between the two, though I felt like maybe I was missing something vital. Of course N's secret of being the former king of Team Plasma had come out, but I knew that his meek attempt at hiding his identity was false—he should just man up to his past and face it if you ask me, unlike now how he was still running from it. But then again… who was I to judge? I hadn't exactly been in his position… and if I was being honest with myself I had to admit that it jealousy makig me angry.

N treated Kyouhei like a little brother, but not in the same sense that Touya even did. He treated him like the most adorable baby brother on the planet—taking every initiative to be close to the youngest of the Black siblings when he could. He had even gone as far as to kiss Kyouhei on the head when I was right there—it bothered me; regardless of his obvious undying love for the Great Black.

Plus Kyouhei was totally ok with these actions, when after so long of "hating" me and not letting me touch him… he just allowed this stranger—this freak—to do these things to him with no problem at all.

I didn't realize I was pouting until Kyouhei spoke up again—as if he saw the disapproval on my face.

"They need to get out and stretch too." He murmured, looking down at Kukui who stood with her head against the arm of his chair, sulking slightly.

"D'wot!" Alec agreed with a petit bark, cracking his neck once.

"And… I did want to talk to you…" Kyouhei looked away, blushing slightly.

Now that was something I couldn't argue with. Sighing again—and flinching when it hurt—I nodded. "All right fine. But tell you brother to give them a training lesson or two…" I muttered, knowing that I would be a fool not to take a lesson from the Great Black. With or without his side kick Mr. Creepy Green Giant.

"Ok." Kyouhei nodded, pushing his chair out and standing. "I'll take them to my brother's hotel room. Come on guys!"

"Wa—I thought you were going to have him come get them!"

Kyouhei snorted. "I need some exorcise too, and it's a short walk."

Frowning as Alec jumped down off the hospital bed and joined Kukui next to Kyouhei I turned and carefully lay myself back down, facing away from the group—it was a shame really, all I wanted was to stretch my legs as well. Only I was still too "fragile" for that. Walking distances longer than from here to the bathroom wasn't in my agenda for another day or so.

"Hey Hyuu…" Kyouhei murmured, his feet stepping closer to me once again. I looked up at him just in time to feel his hand rub through my hair, brushing back the extreme bed-head locks that fell before my eyes an ever so slight and sad smile.

"Hmm?" I raised an eyebrow, fighting the tingle that went down the back of my neck from his touch.

"Do you remember what happened just before the plane crashed?" he asked innocently.

I shook my head, closing my eyes as he brushed his finger back and forth above my ear, and the disappearing just as I began to forget about how much I didn't want him to leave me. I nearly groaned as his feet headed towards the door again.

"Good." He mumbled almost under his breath. "I'll be back soon."

"Wait—Kyouhei why do you a—

I heard the door shut stiffly behind him.

…

~Kyouhei~

I hadn't realized until today—just now actually—that the hospital me and Hyuu had been admitted to was not actually in the town of Lentimas but in none other than Undella.

The hospital room they put me in was facing away from the beach, so for as long as I stayed cooped up in there I hadn't the slightest clue what was going on just outside—the waves, the sand, the warmth of summer sun.

This was no shitty mud-beach like the one that ran right up to the trees outside of Aspertia. This was a gorgeous expanse of white lustful, soft sand. It was brilliant, shimmering with the waves and bringing with it the harsh tang of salt.

My heart—every broken or cracked or bruised part of it nearly leapt from my chest as I stopped, peering through the streets and down the walkway to the sand, my mouth falling agape. Palm trees billowing in the wind, seaweed washing ashore, water pokemon poking about the shallows where the sun warmed the water most… it was every piece of my heaven, and I couldn't control myself, I started running.

Ignoring the pain and sprinting—forgetting all about taking my pokemon to my brother—and just sprinting to the water. Pain snarled within me but I ignored it, the biggest smile spreading across my face since I had been in Unova.

"WAR!" Kukui dashed with me, her fluffy ears and tail streaming out behind her, and Alec a bit behind I confusion.

The hottest portion of the sand, then stripping my shirt off to reveal every purple bruise on my chest and back, the damp sand (the kind that was best for sandcastles), the way it felt as a wave lapped at your ankle, and then suddenly that dive I had been waiting a lifetime for.

Chilly ocean water erupted around me, blasting my hair down in a sopping mess and then flushing me in a current as if I were a ragdoll—I let it take me. The best medicine in the world—that feeling of waves tugging at your weightless body, no matter how achy. The way my lungs adjusted and filled as I held my breath, sinking down as far as I could in the shallows, wallowing in the seaweed and the sand below and all the glory. Kukui dashed around me, her forceful tail propelling her faster than ever before.

We both blew out a healthy stream of bubbles, smiling under the water and then pushing up to the surface. I trembled with delight, uncaring about who was around or watching or listening to my heart beat—it had to be heard miles away it was so strong. I laughed, tossing my head back and letting the ocean have me—like some passionate sex it tugged at my body, and even the sting of saltwater on my stitched shoulder felt amazing.

"D'wot!" Alec barked in confusion, obviously pleased with the ocean as well, but not quite understanding the look that Kukui and I shared.

Happiness flooded me, and for a moment I felt as though I had never been away from home. As if I had never left the safe Island of Mintonga, or never even thought about leaving. For a moment I felt as if my life was perfect again—my brother had never left either. My parents had never broken up and got divorced. Nothing had ever gone wrong. Nothing.

And then it all hit my like a ton of bricks, and within a moment I was nearly sobbing with emotions—not sadness but not quite joy. Just a floor of these feelings I couldn't handle because… I realized that it wasn't just Mintonga I had been missing—it was the ocean. I realized that so long as I could feel this—the salt water, the sand, the motion of the waves—I could feel happy.

Diving down into the waves I breathed easy—not literally of course, since you can't breathe underwater—but I allowed myself to simply feel at ease for the first time in a long time.

_This_ I thought, opening my eyes and peering up at the surface of the water above me—the way it danced in the light of the sun.

_This is home_


	48. Chapter 48

~Kyouhei~

I hadn't realized until today—just now actually—that the hospital me and Hyuu had been admitted to was not actually in the town of Lentimas but in none other than Undella.

The hospital room they put me in was facing away from the beach, so for as long as I stayed cooped up in there I hadn't the slightest clue what was going on just outside—the waves, the sand, the warmth of summer sun.

This was no shitty mud-beach like the one that ran right up to the trees outside of Aspertia. This was a gorgeous expanse of white lustful, soft sand. It was brilliant, shimmering with the waves and bringing with it the harsh tang of salt.

My heart—every broken or cracked or bruised part of it nearly leapt from my chest as I stopped, peering through the streets and down the walkway to the sand, my mouth falling agape. Palm trees billowing in the wind, seaweed washing ashore, water pokemon poking about the shallows where the sun warmed the water most… it was every piece of my heaven, and I couldn't control myself, I started running.

Ignoring the pain and sprinting—forgetting all about taking my pokemon to my brother—and just sprinting to the water. Pain snarled within me but I ignored it, the biggest smile spreading across my face since I had been in Unova.

"WAR!" Kukui dashed with me, her fluffy ears and tail streaming out behind her, and Alec a bit behind I confusion.

The hottest portion of the sand, then stripping my shirt off to reveal every purple bruise on my chest and back, the damp sand (the kind that was best for sandcastles), the way it felt as a wave lapped at your ankle, and then suddenly that dive I had been waiting a lifetime for.

Chilly ocean water erupted around me, blasting my hair down in a sopping mess and then flushing me in a current as if I were a ragdoll—I let it take me. The best medicine in the world—that feeling of waves tugging at your weightless body, no matter how achy. The way my lungs adjusted and filled as I held my breath, sinking down as far as I could in the shallows, wallowing in the seaweed and the sand below and all the glory. Kukui dashed around me, her forceful tail propelling her faster than ever before.

We both blew out a healthy stream of bubbles, smiling under the water and then pushing up to the surface. I trembled with delight, uncaring about who was around or watching or listening to my heart beat—it had to be heard miles away it was so strong. I laughed, tossing my head back and letting the ocean have me—like some passionate sex it tugged at my body, and even the sting of saltwater on my stitched shoulder felt amazing.

"D'wot!" Alec barked in confusion, obviously pleased with the ocean as well, but not quite understanding the look that Kukui and I shared.

Happiness flooded me, and for a moment I felt as though I had never been away from home. As if I had never left the safe Island of Mintonga, or never even thought about leaving. For a moment I felt as if my life was perfect again—my brother had never left either. My parents had never broken up and got divorced. Nothing had ever gone wrong. Nothing.

And then it all hit my like a ton of bricks, and within a moment I was nearly sobbing with emotions—not sadness but not quite joy. Just a floor of these feelings I couldn't handle because… I realized that it wasn't just Mintonga I had been missing—it was the ocean. I realized that so long as I could feel this—the salt water, the sand, the motion of the waves—I could feel happy.

Diving down into the waves I breathed easy—not literally of course, since you can't breathe underwater—but I allowed myself to simply feel at ease for the first time in a long time.

iThis/i I thought, opening my eyes and peering up at the surface of the water above me—the way it danced in the light of the sun.

iThis is home/i

…..

~Hyuu~

"What happened to "I'll be back soon"?" I muttered flipping through an old magazine in desperation as Kyouhei entered the hospital room again, after being gone for over an hour. So much for his brother's hotel room being close by, it sure didn't seem like it.

"Do you know where we ARE?" Kyouhei ignored me, nearly skipping to the edge of my bed. I noticed now that his hair was curling more than normally, and it was damp as well as his shorts.

"In a hospital." I grumbled. "Or in Hell—it's the same thing."

"No!"He shook his head. "Hyuu… We're in Undella Town. Hyuu!"

"What?!"

"We're at the beach."

My initial reaction to this comment was to ask him what was so special about the beach—until I remembered that it was where he came from. He was an island baby, born out of the waves and the sand and I remembered that this was his whole life—not to mention that he was so happy right now I couldn't disappoint such a face.

"Can you walk?" He grinned. "I found a window on the second floor that overlooks the whole horizon—you have to see it."

Giving him a cross look I pushed myself up to be sitting again. My legs were weak but not disabled, and it was about time I stretched them. Though I was insulted by his absence for so long, I couldn't deny that this Kyouhei was much more appealing than the snarky and angry one I saw so often.

"I might need help." I mumbled, swinging my legs off the side of the bed with effort.

"Ok…" he waited until I managed to push myself up. "I'll hold your hand."

I blinked in astonishment as his gentle fingers wriggled their way between mine—it was like a whole different person.

Was this the Kyouhei that once lived on Mintonga? Was this the same freckled faced babe I loved? I couldn't even imagine it… but at the same time I felt somewhat disappointed in his lack of spitfire. I mean—where was the arguing?

And what was I saying anyways?

I squeezed his hand gently in mine; wincing at the first limping step I took in quite a few hours. "Lead me to this window."

He hid his face from my view as his fingers paused, and he stalled, not saying a word but glancing down at the motion between us—it was frightful since I was expecting him to pull away, but somehow I knew that he wouldn't. I cleared my throat softly, waiting for him to move, and then finding that he was blushing—his milky brown eyes averted.

"That's… nice." He allowed, though leaving no opening for me to respond before pulling me along and out into the hallway.

He was right. I smiled softly as we walked (I public I might add) with our hands twined together.

…..

~Kyouhei~

I had never exactly kissed anyone before—if you don't count that sloppy peck to shut Hyuu up that night he was in hysterics after trying to rape me—so I felt utterly disappointed in this moment when I realized that… kissing Hyuu was stupid.

Once again the aching feeling of love and pain hung to my chest, but not so strong that I couldn't shake it off if I really wanted to. I swallowed, letting my heels fall to stand flat on my feet again, and not on my toes. I sighed, biting my lower lip because I was too stupid for this kind of thing—I didn't know how to be romantic. I didn't WANT to be romantic anyways.

"You tease." Hyuu sounded as if I had just knocked the wind out of him. "Kyou…"

I sniffed awkwardly. "I—I just… nevermind."

He looked down at me with his violet eyes flashing red in the glow of the window, which was beaming because of the glorious sunset just outside. It landed just so carefully on the ocean, turning the waves into a rolling expanse of liquid fire. Bubbles billowed off the foamy shallows and around the area ever so, light as feathers, giving and taking to the air as they popped and became reborn again—they looked like thousands of tiny floating crystals from this view.

"Please…" he whispered, touching my face.

I turned away from him, scowling. It was stupid of me to even think about kissing Hyuu—for Arceus sake it was Hyuu. I didn't love Hyuu.

"I don't know how." I mouthed, thinking that anger was a much easier emotion to conquer, and that the plane crash had made it so much harder to ignore as well.

"What?" Hyuu's thumb rubbed a loving circle across my cheek.

"I don't know how." I repeated loud enough so that he could hear me. "I'm not good at this kind of stuff."

"Neither am I, so it's ok." Hyuu allowed. "Now kiss me."

I looked back up to him, afraid that I would see some hideously cheesy puckered face that would make me want to punch him. That's all I needed—to realize that Hyuu was a bad kisser and if I was a bad kisser then it would be a total disaster.

However upon looking up at his face I saw…

I wasn't sure what I saw but I knew it made me feel weird. And it made me want to touch him—the way he cocked one eyebrow up at me slightly, and his mouth parted ever so slightly. I'd never actually noticed before… but once you got past Hyuu's obnoxious hair style he was actually quite handsome. His straight nose and not-too-big but not-too-small brow line. His shaped but somewhat feminine jaw, and clear, pale skin.

"W—why are you looking at me like that?" I mumbled. "You could just kiss me you know…"

He shook his head. "You have to be the one because… because I promised myself I wouldn't kiss you until you kissed me again—I won't pass out this time."

Obviously Hyuu didn't remember how much he had kissed me—my neck, my shoulders, my jaw—on the plane. I blushed at the memory, and knowing that even so, never once had he kissed me on the lips. And the first time didn't count so…

I shivered. "O—ok… close your eyes."

He closed them gently, letting out a soft breath as I leaned up on my toes again, licking my lips once and then wiping my hand across them—what was too wet or too dry? I didn't know, and after contemplating it for a moment I just decided it wasn't worth it to worry. My eyes closed as well, and before I knew it I was kissing him.

Well not so much kissing as pressing my face to his and hoping it worked—which it didn't. He was stiff, I was stiff, and no one seemed to breathe for a second.

I pulled away, hating myself and feeling utterly embarrassed his he peeked out his eyelids.

"You're right; you aren't very good at this."

"Shut the hell up." I had to restrain from hitting him—he was already injured anyways. " It's not like I've ever done this before."

"That wasn't even a kiss." He chuckled. "You just pushed your face to mine."

"Shuddap." I turned, yanking my hand from his and whirling to go back to the room.

"W—Wait!" Hyuu demanded, reaching out to grab me by the shoulder before I was too far for him to catch. "Ok… sorry. I know you're nervous—I am to…"

I wasn't nervous (lie)—I was just shitty at kissing.

"Let me try." He murmured. "You close your eyes."

"Hyuu this is fucking stup—

His lips fell on mine then, smothering me with a rashness I wasn't expecting, and despite the tight line of my lips that was my mouth I realized that he was moving his mouth, pushing my lips to try and knead them away from each other. I waited, hating this and realizing that he wasn't going t stop until I reacted. Heat seemed to flood in over my face like a wave.

Shivering I forced my lips apart—but just barely, and allowed him to turn his face. His jaw tilted down, his nose touching mine, and his lips hot as he held me—moving both his hands up the small of my back and bringing me closer to him.

"P—Put." He breathed between my non-responsiveness. "Your arms- around my neck."

I obeyed somehow, unable to find the strength to challenge him now that he had me so helplessly. He pulled me into his chest as my arms curled around his neck.

"Relax." He pulled his lips away for a fraction of the second, kissing the crease between my eyes away. "Just let me move your lips…"

I let my jaw fall slightly, opening my mouth as he pushed himself against me, his lips softer somehow, more tender and loving and warm—so warm.

That warmth was one of my most favorite things about Hyuu.

Softly, every so softly he pushed his tongue past my lower lip, sparking passion inside of my unresponsive body. His hot tongue felt like a wave coming over my mouth—colliding with a crash upon my tongue, rolling like the foam that would creep up the shorelines. I shivered, going from stiff to lightheaded and loose in a heartbeat.

This feeling—this action between two people was something I didn't understand and probably never would… but…the more I thought about it the more I realized it was pointless and I would never know just how it worked.

Kissing—no—making out with Hyuu was nothing like I expected.

"Mmmn." I curled my hand through his hair, pushing it up against the back of his head and knotting in a fistful of the thick dark blue spikes.

He flinched, reeling back and hissing in pain—lightheaded I stumbled away from him then, letting him have his hair back and then leaning against the window for support. He also had to grab the wall, though I couldn't tell if it was his head or his achy body that made him stumble.

"Sore spot." He huffed, rubbing the back of his head—a trail of saliva lingering down his lower lip.

"There's spit on your face." I grumbled, not sure whether to be angry or appalled at the way it felt to have his tongue in my mouth—aka, amazing.

"You wanna get that for me?" He leaned over sarcastically—shaking with effort of standing.

"Fuck off." I pushed his face away gently.

"Come on…" his lulling maroon eyes rolled my way.

I peeked around the empty hall again before looking back at him—then out the window at the ocean that made me so happy and back again.

"Ok." I snorted, wrapping my arms around his neck again and repeating. "But I'm not good at this."

He flashed me a devious and crooked smile. "You're getting better."

Irritated I pressed my lips to his.

….

~Rosa~

Humilau town was my priority now—after finding Skyla and defeating her in Lentimas town a week ago, just before the plane crash, I was now only focused on finding team plasma.

"What do you think is their motive?" I mused to Touko, a sexy girl with more sense than half the people I had ever met in this world. Her fiancé Tate was beside her now, looking down with his piercing silver eyes glinting like stones under the harsh unnatural light of this submarine. We had decided that it was more beneficial for us to take a boat rather than the marine tube because it had just opened, it was crowded, and a long, three mile walk to Humilau which was just too much time. The submarine was faster, though a little claustrophobic and depressing.

Tate stayed silent, hiding their secrets which I wanted to know about so badly. Touko pitied me, but held a look that said she couldn't go against her lover's wishes—Tate wanted to figure this out himself.

"I'm just as big a part of this as you guys are!" I growled. "You could at least tell me what you know—maybe I will be able to help!"

"Rosa…" Touko sighed.

"No." Tate shot back. "I don't want you being a part of this—and I don't want you bringing any other people into it. That fool of yours—Hyuu—he's caused more problems than he's worth."

"Don't talk about my best friend like that." I bared my teeth. "And don't underestimate me. Did you forget that I got to the plane crash before you did—and you can teleport!"

"That's not the point." He folded his arms looking over at Touko. "Yeah I can teleport—so what are we doing here with her?"

She rolled her eyes. "You've been working too hard—you need to rest."

"I'm fine."

Obviously there was no arguing with Tate, so Touko turned back to me. "Listen sweetgirl. I know you want to help, and I know you want to stop them—but… you can't put yourself in danger like this."

"I can and I will!" I hissed. "I'm strong—all my pokemon are in their final evolution and I've never even lost a battle!"

"You're pokemon aren't the only one's that have to be strong." Tate glared. "You need more than that anyways—you need heart. You need to know what it feels like to lose something or someone. You think you are experienced but you are not. You haven't experienced pain or loss or the desire to protect."

"Who are you to tell me these things?" I demanded. "I know you were a part of the Shado—

A hand clamped suddenly across my face as Touko silenced me. "Rosa!"

I fought the urge to spit on her as she waited, meeting my gaze with her brilliant ocean blue eyes.

"You can't just blurt things like that out—this is why we can't help you."

"You're a loose cannon." Tate snorted, reaching to his fiancé and taking her hand stiffly. "And we can take those kinds of chances."

"But you guys will need me!" I insisted not a moment too soon.

Suddenly they were gone—teleported out of the sub and leaving me alone again.

"Fuck." I cursed, looking out the window at the dark blue ocean around me before reaching into my pocket for my pokegear. I didn't have signal at the moment, but I knew that there was still a few more people I could count on to help me. I would be calling them as soon as the sub got to Humilau.

I stared at Cheren and Touya's phone numbers I had acquired recently.

They would help me.

I flicked over to Hyuu's and Kyouhei's. It would be cruel to ask them to help me when they were injured—especially Hyuu.

Gritting my teeth I stuffed the pokegear back into my pocket.

I would have to ask anyways.


	49. Chapter 49

"Are you going back to the hotel?" I wondered as he messed with the faucet. "It's only four-ish."

"No, I was just hot from being in the sun—this water is cold." He turned the dial to a nearly warm temperature and stepped back from the spray—I flinched as it sprayed out and against my back.

This tiny bathroom was a strange setup—bigger than a normal stall but smaller than a normal bathroom. The mirror would always be spattered from the shower, and the urinal would probably always look clean from the water spraying on it as well.

"Hyuu!" I barked, clinging up against the cement wall as he stepped lightly under the spray, flinching but then succumbing to the cold. The water tamed his wild hair and made his swim shorts hang heavily on his hips.

"It feels good once you get in." He sniffed, raising his face to the water and swallowing.

"I hate the cold." I grumbled, knowing that to get out the door I would have to get into the chilly water first.

"It's not that bad—really." Hyuu opened his eyes again and looked at me. His hand dipped forward across the space between us, and before I knew it he was pulling me into the icy spray. Hidden behind the cement walls and the tile door of this stall I fell upon his chest, arching my back as the water poured against me.

"Asshole." I hissed, feeling his hands snake around my waist, gripping me. It was obvious that even if his body still hurt he was strong—or stubborn—enough to want to hold me. A felt a faint blush creeping over my neck and face—hopefully my tan would hide it.

The other day, in our hotel room randomly Hyuu tried to kiss me again, and having been caught off guard I slapped him—old habits you know—only to realize that I had given up on trying to stop his affection towards me. I had felt bad then, and the two of us wound up in the fiercest make-out session until I knelt on his ankle wrong and he got paralyzed in pain. Once again… I just wasn't good at this kind of thing.

I considered stepping on his foot now as he tilted my chin up to kiss me, bending softly so that our wet lips gathered together. Bad as I was I hated to admit that Hyuu seemed to get the hang of things quickly, and it was easy to think that with him on the other end it couldn't be so bad. We counteracted each other, and I had to admit it felt good having his tongue stroke mine lightly.

"Hmm…" he murmured, moving one hand down into the back of my pants to cup my ass—I could imagine the tan line I would have back there. Squeezing gently I tensed feeling a jump between my legs and in the pit of my stomach as he moved his lips away, pushing them down my jaw and shoulders as his open hand settled on my chest, palming my left nipple in sudden heated passion.

He was right—the water wasn't so cold.

"Uh… Oh Hyuu." I bit my lip, hating the way he could just have his way with me—and yet somehow loving it. I loved that I hated it. To say the least.

"Are you hard?" Hyuu murmured, kissing my collar bone. I couldn't hear anything past the sound of his voice and the water going, but in the back of my mind I realized that despite being sheltered we WERE in a public place, and the only thing keeping anyone from seeing us was a tiny red line on the lock of the door meaning it was occupied.

I shivered, not daring answer him because in fact I was feeling a little tense—or relaxed depending on how you look at it. Gently he pushed his knee up into my crotch and kneaded slightly.

"Ah." I pushed my head against his shoulder, trying to fend him off. This felt all too familiar considered the last time he groped me—and quite frankly let me get off on his hand—was right before the plane crash. We could have almost died together and it was this kind of interaction that caused it.

"W—wait!" I insisted. "N—not now. Hyuu stop—don't get—you can't get on your knees you will hurt your legs!" My voice raised an octave—but hopefully no one heard from outside.

"Hyuu…" I gripped his shoulders, ushering him back to his feet before he could intoxicate me with his mouth. "Do you remember what happened right before the plane crash?"

He shook his head, uninterested in the topic and more interested in kissing my nipples. I pushed his face away rather roughly this time.

"Stop it! Hyuu! We're in public."

"I don't care." His face fell slightly. "I want you…"

"I—I—want… you too." His eyes widened at the words. "But not now!"

"When?"

"I—I don't know…"

"You're dick is telling me right now."

"Well my dick is a liar." I snorted. "It really means later…"

"Later when?" He whined, piercing me with his maroon eyes.

I swallowed. "S—Soon… I—I guess… tonight… if you want. Just not now!"

Eyes clouded over with lust he bent before me, pecking my lips once more and reaching for the faucet.

"Ok… until then…"

I shrieked as he put it on as cold as it could go.

….

~Touya~

"C—come on!" N snarled into the back of my shoulder blades, biting at my neck like a feral cat as his hands pried apart my backside, allowing him to tear mercilessly at me like my hands tore at the cement walls of this kinky outdoor shower system.

Thank the beaches of Undella for providing us with a mid-day fuck area. I gasped, the water scorching my back as the shower noise blocked our cries from anyone that could be near us in the other stalls or walking around just outside.

"F—fu—fuck!" I gasped, gripping the sink now as he yanked up one of my legs and pelted me with his long—almost too long—cock.

"W—why haven't we done this i—in so long?" N purred, flipping back the long dark green waves of his sopping hair and pausing to let me breath for just a moment.

"I—I don't know—N—my dick." I said, blinking down at the loaded gun between my legs as it yearned for attention. Precum drooled from the tight head as it jumped with tension.

"Beg for me." He pressed his body down on my back and mounted me again, his hips thrusting so fast and hard my eyes watered with pain so good I couldn't explain it. Pure ecstasy… that's what it was.

"Ple—please!" my arms shook from gripping the sink so hard. "Ma—make me—cu—ow!"

His teeth gripped a tender spot of my neck as N worked over me.

"N!" I threw my head back, forgetting my right hand on the sink and pushing it down to touch the much needed erection that was my own. My fingers curled around it, trying to pump to the rhythm of his hips and his balls slapping against me. My toes curled under my feet in pleasure for a sheer second, and then he stopped, yank my arm around and pulling me away from the skin.

I teetered for a moment as he pulled out, straddled me against the sink, and pushed my arms around his neck—away from my erection. We'd had sex plenty of times but never so publically and never so ruthlessly either—my whole body screamed for release.

"Beg for me." N slammed my back up against the sink. "Be—beg!"

The only noise that found its way out of my throat was an endearing and low whimper as my ass contracted around his shape—this was too much for me. Too much. My whole body felt like it was on fire.

"C—ome o—on!" N grunted as my hands yanked the thick strands of his hair.

"Ah! AH!" I yelped, hiding my face in his collar bone as the feeling of cum inched its way through the base of my staff—standing at attention now, tight as could be.

I couldn't believe this feeling—N was going to make me cum without even touching me.

Spreading my legs a little further and diving in a little deeper he growled, making my ears ring and my head swim with dizziness.

Stars exploded behind me eyes as he took that fierce orgasm by the reins and pushed his fingers around the base of my cock—stabilizing it as cum jumped and poured at such a feeling. And then his own body fluids filling me to the brim.

I shuddered as every inch of me throbbed.

"N—N…" I released the hold I had on his hair.

Panting he looked at me, his emerald eyes gleaming with desire and oozing pure and utter sex.

"Blackie…" he whispered, leaning over and lapping at the white stains glistening on my chest.

"I love you…"


	50. Chapter 50

~Hyuu~

It was nine O'clock in Undella town and I was having my first major meltdown of this journey—ok second if you count Kyouhei leaving me that time a while ago—or…

Ok this wasn't my first or my second meltdown but it certainly was in my top five. I was faced with a decision I couldn't come to terms with, and it burdened me like a thick cloth—smothering my mouth and trying to make it hard to breath. I felt like everyone in this convenience store was watching me or hearing my heartbeat as I stared down at the isle of condoms and lubes.

What size was I? Would Kyouhei want to be on top? Would I let him? What size was Kyouhei? I had never actually seen his dick before (though Kyouhei seemed to be implying that something happened on that plane ride before the crash, he wouldn't tell me what exactly and I couldn't remember). I was nervous—did I want condoms with flavor? No… that was trashy… but what if coconut made Kyouhei enjoy it more? It was an island flavor after all…

"Shit." I muttered, crossing my arms and looking over to the lubes instead. Maybe I didn't need condoms—maybe just lube would be enough.

Or who was I kidding? This was his first time! It would hurt him no matter what I used or didn't use but… but I wanted to help if I could…

Frustrated I turned, thinking maybe there was a solution to my problems on the row behind me, and that maybe magically enough I would find it and it would work.

"Uhf!" I grunted, getting the air knocked out of me as I ran right into a solid and tall form standing behind me. I grunted, my ribs aching with effort at the collision—they were still so bruised.

"O—Oh sorry sir, excuse m—

I stopped, looking up to see none other than that bean stalk standing before me, a smirk of pure evil in his eyes as his long eye lashes fluttered.

"Having problems Hyuu?"

I glared. "That's none of your business."

"You intend to fuck the sweet babe?" He loomed over me as I tried to turn again, thinking that maybe it would be best to go to a different store in general—they might have different items anyways. Not to mention if N was around, it was inevitable that Touya would be around, and I didn't exactly want HIM knowing that I intended to take his little brother tonight.

"That's none of your business!" I repeated. "And be quiet!"

"You're the one yelling." He allowed, reaching out to touch my shoulder as if it were his property. I shrugged him off.

"Now now Hyuu. I know you don't like me… but maybe I can make it up to you? I know I tried to kiss Kyouhei but it was a moment of—

"YOU DID WHAT?" I whirled, wanting to ring his neck—since when did THAT happen? I mean… I knew that N kissed Kyouhei on the head—but the way he said it made me know that's not what he meant!

"Shh Shh…" His fingers pinched my chin tightly and his emerald eyes bore down at me from under the shadow of his hat. "Now now, I have no interest in him anymore than a little brother now. You needn't worry my dearest Hyuu. Now, let me help you."

"I don't need your help!" I growled, trying to pull away.

"Yes you do—come here you little angry Quilfish~ Before Blackie comes back."

Peeking above the isle in alarm I turned back to N, scowling but more afraid of what Touya would do to me if he found out.

"Now tell me. What size are you?" He mused, bending at the shelf of condoms.

"I—I don't know." I blushed.

He paused, looking back at me with an exasperated smile and then jolting forward, without thinking about his actions and snatching the zipper on my pants.

"WHAT THE FU—

I shrieked as he tried to inspect my privates, making me feel utterly exposed. I shivered, thinking it would be best to run now—but I could see that something in N's eyes made me have no choice. He would chase me down anyways. I flipped him off as he returned back to the boxes.

"Extra small."

"Hey!"

I could see him grinning as he fumbled about, reaching into the back and plucking a box for me. "Here."

I hesitated before I took it, though my heart was still racing at the idea of all this happening.

"Large." N allowed, poking the size labeled on the box. "I hope you fill it well."

I groaned under my breath as he set the thing in my hand before moving to the lubricants a little further down.

"If he's anything like his brother…" N mumbled to himself. "He will want heat—lots of warmth."

"Y—yes!" I agreed. "He always says he hates the cold."

N smiled to himself as if it were some inside joke, and I didn't bother asking—he was such a weird guy it wouldn't do me any good anyways. I sighed as he pulled a skinny dark blue bottle off the shelf and handed it to me.

"That gets hot." He said stepping forward and leaning down to whisper in my ear. "And if you really want to drive him crazy, just rub a tiny bit between his balls—let it simmer there."

I swallowed carefully as the strange man patted me on the shoulder and murmured good luck. He was so… weird! Part of me wanted to throw the condoms and the bottle of lube at his head and then make a run for it—but the other part of me was contemplating his secrets.

If Kyouhei was anything like Touya then… maybe it would work? My heart started to thump unevenly in my chest as I stared down at the material in my hands. I could have stayed there forever, just wondering if this was really happening or not—but then I heard Touya's voice from a few rows over and I could see N hurrying to get back to him.

In a whirl of panic I dashed around the other side of the isle and started making my way to the checkout counter.

N BETTER know what he's talking about…

~Kyouhei~

I was so nervous. Dammit. I was so nervous I felt like part of me was going to shatter and crumble. I felt like I was going to hit a brick wall going a hundred miles an hour and my every emotion would splatter in different directions—I felt like I was going to lose my mind.

Dammit.

I felt good though, hugging Kukui to my chest while Hyuu was out at the store buying "things" in which I could only imaged involved lube and condoms—he wanted it to be easy for me but at the same time… I knew down deep I wasn't in it for easy. I appreciated the effort I really did, but… Hyuu would be better off just doing it—the more prep the more likely I was to get nervous and give up.

I swallowed the scratchiness of my dry throat away as I rubbed Kukui's fluffy ears back. "I'm nervous." I whispered to her. "Kukui… I don't know anything about sex."

She gave me a look of regard that said she didn't know what to tell me—she was a pokemon and I was a human, so how could she comfort me or give me advice on this topic? I groaned internally.

Maybe I should just call my brother? He would know what to do… after all he was probably the biggest whore I had ever met…

But then when I thought about talking to him about sex I realized how horrible it would be and how much I didn't even want him and "sex" in the same sentence together. I was stumped, I was lost, I was fumbling for the words about how I felt.

I could always turn Hyuu down again… Or tell him that I wasn't ready at the moment. It wouldn't be a lie after all, but I didn't exactly feel nice about it. Hyuu was…

Hyuu was someone I could safely say I enjoyed. Though he drove me crazy more often than not I found that the idea of "loving" him didn't turn me off like it used to, though it frightened me to no end and I didn't exactly WANT to be in love, it was something that seemed do-able in good time. Hyuu was…

I stopped for a moment, thinking about the things Hyuu had that I hadn't gotten the chance to appreciate before. Like his lips—which were always soft no matter what kind of sun-dried weather or frigid wind-blown landscape we were in. His brow line, which was not to prominent that it made him look like a caveman, but just prominent enough to make him look mature and masculine—in the right light of course. Or the way his maroon eyes seemed to dance when he laughed or was thinking about something mischievous.

Suddenly now I felt like I couldn't think straight, and while all I wanted was to curl up in bed and sleep it off—maybe have dream sex—and then wake up to a safe reality again; the kind of safe reality that was Mintonga Island or the ocean.

Taking deep breathes I rubbed Kukui, trying to ignore the tickling feeling in the pit of my stomach while feeling through her fur—it was a comforting escape if only for a moment.

"Warr…" She crooned, butting me gently with her head as if to say that I would be alright. I guessed that was better than her disapproving.

"I'm nervous…" I swallowed a dryness in my throat, knowing that I would have to do something to solve this issue I was having. After a moment I pushed Kukui away, moving to get up off the—king size might I add—bed that we had gotten tonight. Hyuu made a fuss in the lobby earlier about changing rooms because a spring was broken on the couch in that room or something—but in reality he just wanted them to change us to a room with one bigger bed that was somehow "cheaper". Never would he have complained about something as insignificant as a single broke spring if it weren't for the fact that he wanted to make me happy. I shivered, the cold of the room nipping at me through my thin Tshirt (just bought) and making me want to turn the heater on. It would be irrational though, since we were well into summer and Hyuu was not going to allow me to turn the air conditioning off in any sense. I perched my lips, reaching for the mini fridge that was under the television screen in a large entertainment center, and plucking out a half drunken water bottle—it was Hyuu's but it didn't bother me.

I sipped at it, thinking about just how terrible or beautiful this night could go. Would things be easier than I'm anticipation—after all I was thinking the worst so it could only be better right? I contemplated it being horrendous—if Hyuu was as good at sex as I was at kissing then there was no guarantee there would be any sex tonight at all.

But what if he was amazing at it? What if he was a natural? Licking my lips and looking down at myself I wondered how we would fit together.

"Kukui…" I murmured. "Time to go back in your ball…"

She didn't argue while I had my back turned to her and there was no real order in my voice—she just jumped lightly to the bed and over to where my belt of pokeballs was sitting on top of my bag. She clicked the button herself and went easy—the sound of the ball swallowing her and then sealing shut left me with an eerie silence.

I turned, looking back at the king size bed with the comforter strewn about it all neat and took a deep breath. Deep down I knew this was it—this was the last night I would truly ever be me because after Hyuu and I…

If he took that tiny fraction of me—my virginity—then a part of me would always belongs to him, and in return he would always belong to me (not that he didn't anyways already. He'd made that quite clear).

Walking stiffly I crawled into the left side of the bed, throwing the comforter back and slipping into it with a soft whine. My heart was starting to throb, and part of me hoped that when I reached over and turned the lamp beside the bed off, that I would fall right to sleep and nothing would happen. Hyuu wouldn't wake me up would he? I thought briefly as the light flicked off and I lay in the dark, listening to my own breathing and holding myself as if I were a fragile seashell that had been strewn upon land after years of living in the ocean.

I didn't know exactly how tonight was going to work… I didn't know if I would really enjoy it… and I didn't know if this would change the way I felt about Hyuu.

All I knew was that I was scared.

Shuffling into the bed further I heard the sound of a hotel card key in the door—my stomach jumped.

"Kyouhei?" Hyuu whispered, his voice loving and sexy.


	51. Chapter 51

~Hyuu~

It was the soft sound of his breathing that got to me first as I crawled past Kyouhei in the bed—shedding my shirt along the way and taking a deep breath—just a moment—to allow this frightful and brilliant moment to sink in. Kyouhei before me… laying in a heap of blankets looking warm and cozy with his back turned to me. I smiled a nervous smile, thinking back to the moment I met him.

Kyouhei had been on that beach asleep just behind a log where I knew he had been watching the waves the night before. He was salty and covered in sand and had terrible bags under his eyes at the time, and yet he had been unbearably attractive. Lizzie had called him a zombie—which I hadn't known to be so true at the time… however now it felt like she had hit the nail right on the head.

Kyouhei had been a zombie when I met him—just an empty shell of a boy who left his emotions back on a tiny island known as Mintonga. He had been lifeless and uninterested in damn near everything—especially me. However… I had been so interested in him. I had been so flustered and disoriented by everything about him. It was… strange to say the least.

Kyouhei was not loving, he was not warm, he was not kind—and yet I had seen something so perfect inside of him that I endured pain I didn't think imaginable to reach this point.

I had wanted this for so long—even for I left Aspertia City I had wanted to touch Kyouhei and make him my own. I wanted him to love me like I loved him, and though he may not even love me now—this was a step closer. A HUGE step closer.

My heart was pounding in my chest as I knelt over the blanket tucked around him, finding his head under a pillow and a low groan slipping from his teeth. It made me weary—self conscious because if he didn't want this then what would I do? I couldn't rape him, but at this point I felt like there was no way I could handle rejection again. Not after how much waiting I had done.

"Are you nervous?" I asked knowing that he was awake now. I set my hand on his shoulder softly, wanting to reach out and take the pillow away from his head so that I could see him—though my eyes had only just adjusted to the dark.

He didn't answer me—which was answer enough.

"It will be ok—I—I bought stuff… that should make it easier…"

He turned then, throwing the pillow off of his face and shifting up in bed. I pulled back, sitting on my knees as he faced me, his eyes flickering in the low light and the smell of salt water wafting off his skin as he moved. He took a deep breath, raised his finger to silence me, and looked me dead in the eyes.

"Hyuu… Listen to me." He said sternly. "I'm scared and I don't know what to do… so you're going to have to do everything. B—but I don't want you to talk about it. I don't want to hear about what you bought or what you are doing at the moment—I don't want to hear explanations…"

I thought for a moment, wondering if I should be offended by this or not—it wasn't as if he told me he didn't want to hear my voice; he just said he didn't want to hear about the sex. I swallowed and nodded, though it may be hard for me not to warm him or ask him questions about if it felt good or not, I knew that this was a promise I could keep. If he felt like it would be worse for him like that then I wouldn't—I wanted this to be easy.

I wanted… I wanted him to be happy.

"Ok." I allowed, smiling. This was happening… oh Arceus this was really happening.

Taking a deep breath Kyouhei leaned down to pull the ends of his shirt, slipping it up over his head and biting his lip as he went. I watched this as if it were vital—seeing his tanned and freckles shoulders and his smooth chest come from beneath the white fabric of a soft cotton shirt.

He blinked down at the bed sheets as he threw the material on the floor and then slowly leaned back, resting his head on the pillow.

"I'm all yours…"

…

~Kyouhei~

"Mmnn…" The lulling sound of my throat vibrated up to my mouth and lips as Hyuu bent, sucking selfishly on my left nipple, which was pricked in anticipation much like the hot way my erection stood, tenting beneath my boxers and hidden beneath the weight Hyuu, who was so hot—so much more than I expected, which was saying a lot since he was always so hot.

"Ah…" I huffed as he nipped ever so gently, raking his teeth across the sides of my chest where a female's breasts would tickle and be sensitive. He kissed my shoulders in a way that made me think he was giving each and every sun freckle attention, and a where his lips went was a hot trail that followed. I was tingling, my arms limp at my sides and my eyes closed and my heart leaping for closure.

What was I doing? What was I thinking? Where did all this come from? How come I left Mintonga? Who WAS I?

All the questions blurred through my brain like the way a fire hose sprayed water—so hard and so ruthless I didn't have time to think of an answer. I only had time to allow myself to breathe and succumb to him. I released the breath I had been holding in my throat, letting out another soft murmur as Hyuu nibbled on my earlobe, moving gracelessly back and forth across my temple and jaw. He was breathing heavily—almost worst than I was, and I could tell that he was putting forth a lot of effort.

Unnecessary as it was I found myself shaking at his touch, the way his mouth moved like a fluttering wing up and down and around and back again across my body. I was… a canvas and he was the tiny bristles of a new paintbrush. I found myself exposing my throat to him more and more, letting him—almost coaxing him—into biting my collar bone and sucking a harsh little love spot where my tanned skin turned purple and bruised.

"Oh Kyouhei…" He pulled back for a second, looking at me with his vibrant maroon eyes, each lash sending a streak of shadow across his cheek bones where the pale moonlight seeped in, allowing us to see one another.

"I love you." He whispered, bending down and pushing his lips to mine now, silencing my desperate attempt at catching air. He made my head spin, my muscles bunch with effort, and my privates scream for attention.

Was this love? Or was this lust? I wasn't sure if Hyuu ever truly knew was love was, but I knew that he would die for me so I had accepted that a while ago—I had allowed myself to be loved though I still could not love in return.

I kissed back, familiar with the shape and taste of his soft lips on mine now that we had spent a few days practicing this simple task. I still couldn't say I was good at it, or even somewhat ok, but I knew that it didn't mother him—especially not when I managed to slide my tongue to and from with him. Hot and moist and tasting of one another's saliva I moved, breaking the limp that was my body until my arms snaked around his bare chest and up to his neck. I held tightly not letting myself think about pulling him down onto me further, but just simply letting action take its course. I allowed myself to feel him—to truly accept this feverish emotion and swallow it like a pill.

"Uh… ah." I breathed past his lips, throwing my head back as his hands cupped my ass, raising my hips easily so that our erections—every mighty inch of his against the meager length of mine—rubbed together through the fabric of boxers alone. I shivered at the touch, my balls tightening as if someone had speared them—only without pain.

I grunted, kicking my legs apart further so that the bulge could comfort itself in the shadow of Hyuu's, taking his heavy sac into consideration as he began to rock—to roll his own testicles against my backside while slowly playing with the elastic band around my waist. I must have been making the most unattractive face as well- while my brain was two, three, probably a good twenty minutes behind my actions, I didn't realize just what I could look like.

Hyuu let out a startled laugh, pausing but not saying anything (like he promised). I tried to scowl at him for this, though somehow, amazingly it came out in the form of a smile. A very intrigued and almost playful smirk across my thin lips.

"Fuck…" Hyuu dipped back in then, closing his eyes and yanking down on the elastic he held so eagerly. He exposed me in only seconds, though leaving the material at my thighs where it caught and made it hard to move—I fidgeted to lower it away from me when he undid his own underwear and tossed them on the floor.

Stark naked he knelt over me, his thighs shrouding the sides of mine as he basked in the low-light glory of this moment. His dick, proud and strong and confident arched just above my stomach. While my own seemed to twitch with a feeling I hadn't been able to analyze in quite some time. A warm liquid began to flow, slowly, thickly, beading at the head of my erection, and then smearing against his buttcheek as he shifted lower on me.

I waited, shaking slightly as he lay at the foot of the bed beside me, arched over and eyeing me suspiciously—his fingers daring to touch places they'd only touched once before. That plane crash was just a slight memory in my head as I felt Hyuu's hand hold the erect member between my legs, tugging on it slightly and then deciding that it was ok to play around a little.

He pinched the head of my cock between his thumb and the side of his hand, pushing out a small amount of the pre-cum that had settled there. I could feel it even in the dark—the liquid slipping ever so slightly down the trunk of my erection and past his hand, which threatened to make me explode whenever it neared my balls.

"Mnn…" Hyuu shifted then, pushing his mouth down on the small space between my sac and my erection, sucking it like one would a popsicle—up the side—and then eagerly collecting my head inside his pale lips. I shivered as he nibbled so softly, his lower lip trembling and his hand sliding up my backside.

"Huu…Uhh!" I covered my mouth aware of how terribly AMAZING this feeling in my chest was. I could hardly believe this was happening and yet the feeling was so strong it mistook it for a dream. My whole pelvis seemed to growl with hunger, leaping forward in the muscles of my penis and gathering where his saliva warmed the skin—it was burning.

Burning in a good way though.

"H—Hyuu!" I gasped, spreading my legs further and granting him access to the area where no one should ever has access to. I swallowed as he pulled back, a low moan of appreciating ringing in his throat as my organ throbbed. I couldn't speak as he pulled away from me, reaching across to the other side of the bed where he had dropped his bag of things from the store. I listened as he tore the plastic off of something and then unsnapped a cap—a warm smell approached me hesitantly.

"Just a little…" Hyuu murmured more to himself than anything, coming back beside me and planting a set of kisses on my hip bones. "Mmn…" He whispered as he did so, his lube-coated fingers finding their place again on my inner thigh.

He crept forward on his knees again, leaving the erect member to stand at attention as his own searched eagerly for some of that lube he smeared on my balls—I gasped softly. He was rubbing his dick back and forth, mimicking the way he would fuck me with the heat of this lubrication and and…and I couldn't think straight having his cock—oh Arceus was it good—rubbing against mine.

Now I knew why my brother was so keen on having sex with that weirdo—it felt good. No matter how terribly I thought it could be I realized I was wrong. It was good. Pure and utterly good.

And I wanted more.

"H—Hyuu…" I whispered as he worked over me gently. "S—suck—

Upon command the feeling of hot lips on my dick returned and he began to pump rather innocently as he went, perhaps not sure whether it was right of me to be telling him what to do. I worried that maybe it was wrong to think he could do all the work on his own, and in a split second I went from lying helpless and weak to sitting up, startling him, and turning away—I could hear the small _pop_ his lips made as my dick pulled out.

"I—I want to…" I trembled onto my side parallel with him and pulling him with me—it was a bit awkward since I was so much shorter than him, but I could see it working.

Me laying beside his hips was probably one of the most intimidating things I had ever done, and it made my hands cold and my face hot as his own raging erection stared at me. I took a deep breath—feeling his tongue cradle one of my balls as if to reassure me that it was ok—that it would taste fine or something.

My fingertips took the thick member slowly, trailing up a tight roll of skin and touching the two tiny holes that sat rather pretty at the top. I could only just see them in the light—and when I gave up on trying to rationalize my actions, the tip of my tongue was aiming for said holes. Spittle dripped from it slightly as I tasted his flesh—not nearly as bad as I realized I WASN'T, but SHOULD be expecting.

"Ahh…" Hyuu sighed, rolling his hips against my mouth and pushing himself further into me. Frightened by the action I bit down—only to regret it a moment later when he jolted back, ripping the flesh from behind my teeth and hissing in pain.

"K—Kyouhei!" He bent over in pain, gritting his teeth as I pulled away—surprised by my actions and giving my brain a chance to catch up to them.

I sat, folding my legs beneath me and cupping my hands over my own erection to put pressure on the longing it held. I shivered in the glow of the window as Hyuu, shaking, sat up as well, his face twisted with pain.

"Da—Dammit." He cursed. "Y—You can't bite!"

"I—I—

I choked, realizing that there was just as much pain as there was complete adoration in his voice. He tried to cup the pain from his crotch with a frown while biting his lips and shielding his red face from me. I huffed lightly, this sort of rising in my chest making it hard to breathe. It was strange—such an unfamiliar feelings that it took my off guard and… and I didn't even notice at first that I was laughing.

Hand over my mouth I laughed, trying to hide the sound but failing as Hyuu chuckled, forgiving me right then and there and leaning over.

"Forget the blowjobs." He pushed me down into the pillows, grinning but still flinching with pain. "You're laugh turns me on even more anyways."

I looked away, taking in all the emotions pouring into me and those angry, hideous ones pouring out. I didn't even know what to think but… but I knew that this was ok. That somehow…

My mind reeled back to what my brother had told me time and time again—everything happens for a reason.

Suddenly then tears were swelling in my eyes, and I couldn't stop the fear from leaving—the hesitation and the regret. Everything seemed o fly away. My body, my heart releasing all the tension that had been so prominent since the day I left Mintonga Island.

I let it all go.

Finally after so long of holding in those emotions…

It was gone. Just like that my beautiful lovely island home—though still utterly important to me and my life—became seated beside another moving force. Someone just as warm and nearly as powerful.

When I imagined the sun and the heat and the white sand… I couldn't help but imagine Hyuu as well.

He was there, in my heart with my Island and my brother and Kukui and all the other things in this world I cared about—this I realized now… I would die for.

Kissing me softly Hyuu whispered. "Ok… let's try this again…"

"Hyuu…" I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my wet cheeks into his shoulder.

"Ky—Kyouhei are you ok?" he pulled me into him then—somehow he wasn't afraid of these tears I shed. Somehow I knew that he knew… that… after so long now… I knew.

I knew…

"Hyuu." I repeated, curling my hand through his hair. "I—I love you."


	52. Chapter 52

~Hyuu~

It was… that moment of truth I had been waiting for so long now. That glorious succumb to me, Kyouhei… his passion, his eyes like milk and honey and toasted almond butter or something just as delicious. I flinched at the words, my heart feeling as if someone has just injected a sort of morphine into it. Some powerful drug to stop me from the slow breakdown I had been feeling since the moment I knew Kyouhei didn't like me like I loved him.

And now he did. Or at least in the heat of this moment he did—which was fine by me. I felt my body tremble and my heart soften as he looked up at me, biting his lips with a faint flush on his cheeks because even he couldn't deny that he had been caught off guard by his feelings. My whole chest swelled, and beyond my eye lids I could feel the sting of tears that wanted to break loose of happiness—you would think he just accepted some sort of proposal the way I reacted, however it was the same kind of thing when you think about it.

We had been through hell and back again; hate, love, lust, arrogance, stupidity, danger, and many other things that had crossed out path made it hard to believe that this was really happening. After everything we had been through—after all the sacrifice and the hate and the pain. I couldn't stand it. It was worth it.

Blinking away the moisture in my eyes I looked down at me, feeling his hands curl through my hair because he was unafraid. Finally, for once he let it all go and just decided that love was an emotion far too powerful to push down. My whole being suddenly felt as though it was floating, walking on a sort of air.

"Kyouhei…" I whispered, shaking my head and bringing myself back down to earth. Back down into his warmth where I could taste his pre-cum on the back of my tongue and imagine his teeth latching onto the head of my own cock, where it hurt but somehow stung in a good way afterwards. He had laughed but… it was erotic to hear such a sound. It made him sound lighthearted—at ease for once with the world.

I wanted to cry, but I forced myself to stop as he moved his hands down my shoulders, trying to find the outer shell that was his normal stubborn and irritating ways—however it had gone, shattered under the touch of my hands and the eagerness of my mouth.

Carefully I leant back, kneeling and letting his hands fall around my shoulders, gripping lightly for the moment.

"I—I'm going to—

"Shh." He cut me off. "You promised…"

That's right… that sad little promise I made about keeping my mouth shut. I wanted to tell him that I was going to enter him now—with the help of a little more lube and—no.

Suddenly now condoms felt all wrong, and the idea of not feeling every inch of his flesh upon my skin turned me off. I had to take him bareback, I just had to. I didn't want anything to separate us now—even if it was just a tiny layer of latex.

Taking a deep breath I moved his legs apart, closing my eyes and pushing the trunk of my cock up against his balls. I rubbed it there for a second, trying to imagine the motion I would use once I was inside of him, and all the while leaning back to grab the thing blue bottle of lube which N had suggested. I had to stop myself from squirting the greasy stuff all over him because in all honesty I was so nervous it felt like anything would help.

Heart pounding I dripped a healthy portion of the warm liquid between us, rubbing carefully across my own erection before taking it down and smearing the pretty flesh of his backside.

One finger was nothing really—Kyouhei only reacted with a soft muffle as I leaned over and captured his dick between my lips—the lube was flavorless but left a strange coating on my tongue and I had to ignore it while I could.

Carefully maneuvering one finger back and forth inside of him I waited, feeling how sensitive he was to the touch, and how much his tiny hole seemed to suck on my finger as if it were a greedy creature. I even had to stop myself for a moment—naturally matching the pace of my lips to the pulsing of his body. This all seemed to match out heartbeats until somehow we synchronized, and with a little effort I slipped a second finger into him.

This time he clawed at me, his nails leaving small divots in my back and his teeth baring into the darkness. I watched him through his head back out of the corner of my eye, and with the sting of scratches on my shoulder I moved my hand more eagerly.

"Ah—ah!" He squeaked, his whole body shaky now and his heart moving a million miles a minute as I kissed at him, making his erection twitch when my mouth centered around a single testicle, sucking it and then blowing softly on it because that seemed to heat the lube that had settled.

"F—Fuu—

He spread his legs further, the muscles in his thighs straining while one of his hands flew to his erection—he was going to cum.

Without thinking I pushed his hand away, lurching forward to catch the tender head between my lips and push down, taking the layer of soft skin away from those two tiny precious holes that my tongue flicked at.

"Cmm'on" I moaned around him stretching the inner walls of his anus and pushing my thumb up between his balls.

"H—HYUU!" He jolted, his voice cracking into a high endeavor at stopping me. I didn't though, I only secured myself to him tighter and made sure that not a drop of his juices were going to be wasted.

Right then and there I knew that I had a thing for… semen in my mouth. Because as he flowed over, tickling the back of my throat with strands of his "island milk" I felt a sort of impenetrable horniness come over me, and I wasted no time swallowing the mouthful—just in time for a second explosion, this time a little closer to my teeth in which is seemed to dwindle, gathering upon his head.

I wasn't greedy with this batch when I pulled away, taking the second half-a-mouthful and drooling it back out onto his balls—I could feel him tense, maybe as if he were going to release another burst, or maybe by repulsion.

"S—suck." Kyouhei huffed, arching his back slightly. "I wa—

"Hmm?" I panted, loving the salty taste in my mouth—was it wrong to want more? More cum. More cum.

Kyouhei took a deep breath before finding his words. "Theres more—suck it out of the tip…"

Now understanding and finding use of my fingers again, I reached for the tip of his dick, opening my lips only just over the tiny holes and sucking it like a straw—more cum. It wasn't a lot, but it was more and somehow Kyouhei enjoyed that.

I swallowed, hoping that this wouldn't destroy my stomach later on and make me ill—I felt so good right now.

"Mmmn…" Licking my lips I pulled away, pushing down on his thighs until I could kneel before him.

"Hyuu…" He huffed, breathless after his orgasm.

"I'm going to fuck you." A throaty noise—a growl—rose before my lips, and I looked down at him with a hunger I had never quite felt before. My lip curled slightly as I pulled my two fingers from his backside and lined my cock up against him.

Kyouhei only nodded in respond as I probed his asshole with the head of my dick—this would be challenging I guessed… but…

Strung out on the taste of him I gripped his hip with one hand, holding steady while my other took hold of my swollen member.

Eagerly I pushed both down on him and up with myself until I was slowly but surely entering, making his walls stretch and his eyes close with a sort of pleasured pain.

"Ahh!" He gasped as the ledge of my cock's head disappeared beyond his body- perhaps that was only an inch or so inside of him, but I could already feel just how good it felt. Trembling I pushed farther, taking both hands now and holding his hips, using my pelvis only to thrust further.

"Ow—Ow!" He cried, holding a hand before his mouth and gritting his teeth—I could see him straining with effort—holding his breath.

"R—Relax!" I commanded, though my every instinct was telling me to take him—take him now and fuck him mercilessly. I had to stop and remember just who I was for a second before even daring to push in further.

"I—I'm trying." He flinched, his stomach muscles coiling and then stopping and then deflating—I could feel his ass contract to me now, allowing further penetration.

"T—that's right…" I leaned over him, careful not to dislodge myself while wrapping my arms around him. Slowly I began to rotate him around, leaning on my side and not daring to let him move away until I was now lying on the bed—my shoulders fixated on the headboard so we were face to face—and he was ontop of me.

"Ready?" I grunted.

He slumped into me, his legs shaking with effort at holding himself up until I said so. Tilting his chin up and kissing him I pushed down on his hips, up with my own, and let out bodies connect completely.

He whimpered at the pain, the pleasure—the way it felt to have his erection grow again because of me inside of him.

"Oh… Ahh…" I rolled my hips up, my head hot with ecstasy.

"Fuck." Kyouhei hissed. "Shit Hyuu—I—Fuck."

"Shh…. It's ok… It's ok." I rubbed his back as he knelt into me. "I—I'm going to fuck you…"

"N—now please." He curled his fingers into my collar bones as I arched myself upright—since when was Kyouhei so behaved? Part of me longed for the feisty ignorant boy I fell in love with, and the other part of me only wanted more of this love—this appreciation and acceptance. Carefully I began to stroke him, my cock digging deeper into the hot flesh as it stretched and contracted—though still remained so tight.

This was the beginning of sex. Though a lot of foreplay had gone on I realized that this was the true beginning. This was our physical relationship—so good and yet so painful—almost exactly like our emotional relationship.

I fucked him while he was on top of me, though it made my stomach muscles ache with effort. I fucked him on his side, listening to the different cries as I hit different angels. I fucked him up against the headboard. I fucked him into the sheets and eventually with him hanging halfway off the bed (that didn't end well when he nearly fell and I nearly fell on him).

His hips were bruised, my shoulders and back were tattered with scratches, and all of our muscles ached by the time I felt like I was going to lose my mind. My cock was so full of hot passion—all of my own juices built up and restrained for far too long.

"I—I'm going to cum." I said—just once, very softly more to myself than anything—and Kyouhei found himself long enough to pull me closer to him. I was on top of him now—a traditional face to face position in which our mouths collected over and over and over again between our moans.

"I—Inside." He whispered, every nerve in my body tightening with his hot breath on my ear. My hands pulled his legs up as I drowned myself in him, balls deep and twitching while my pelvis curled forward and a rush of thick, white cum tunneled trough my shaft and out the tip—I could feel it all as Kyouhei wrapped his legs around my waist and his arms around my neck.

I never knew just how much love I had to give before this particular moment in time, when it seemed every drop of semen was just another thousand or so reasons why I loved him—his ignorance, his bipolar-ness, his eyes, his lips, his freckles, his island accent, his windblown hair, his cussing sprees, the way he would get a tiny crease between his eyes when he was mad—it all came out as I filled him with love.

Not the tender lust that was me fucking him… no this was passionate, hot love that came with being connected.

In the back of my mind I could see him; his slender body and the wetsuit falling halfway off his hips as he arose out of a black wave with the orange moon beyond him—that night I fell in love the first time.

"Kyouhei…" blackness swept over me for a moment and I became lightheaded, overwhelmed with the feeling and then finally, slipping into a state of incoherency and falling beside him in the bed—head rush or something; I wasn't exactly sure.

I was out for maybe two seconds, lost at breath until I felt a sharp tug on my hair bring me back to reality, and the sound of Kyouhei whimpering "Get off" made me huff.

"O—Oh Arceus Hyuu… Shit." His strained voice came with the smell of salty cum, and the feeling of him pull away from me—or maybe I was deflating?

"A—are y-you ok?" I couldn't focus as my eyes lolled back and forth, trying to find the light in the dark once again. My shoulders stung, my dick felt sore, my stomach was throbbing and hot feeling—and yet I couldn't have imagined this going any better.

"I—I can't move." He sounded as if he were in pain.

At that I had to believe that I could find myself again, and with a lot of effort I managed to push up on the bed, teetering but not faltering as I leaned over Kyouhei, wrapping an arm around him.

"Shhh…" I breathed, rubbing his back. "Relax… it's ok—a—are you ok?"

Carefully he buried his face into me, though tight with his movements and not allowing a space between us—I was fine with that.

"I love you." I kissed his temple softly as he whimpered. "Shh… Kyou baby…"

"D—don't call m—me that." He managed through his exhausted and achy body.

Heart finally starting to calm down I pulled him closer, a tiny smile creeping over my lips—there it was again, that ignorance.

"Ok." I allowed. "Go to sleep…"

He shifted slightly, leaning up with a soft moan and pecking my lips as if they were made of thing glass. I licked them as he settled then.

"Goodnight, Hyuu…"

"Goodnight…"


	53. Chapter 53

~Touya~

Nothing like discovering how much you love a city, only to realize how much you hate its gym leader a moment later.

Laid back and high as a kite was the water trainer Marlon, who's impressive tan lines had enough contrast to make you blind as a bat when he turned your way in the right light. He was strange, he had a fake island accent (though more closely related to the Orange Island's than Mintonga) and he didn't seem to know what he was talking about most of the time.

"What the hell was up with him?" I questioned as the sun broke over the waves lapping at the soft white sandy beach of Humilau.

"He just doesn't seem like he wants to be a part of this battle." Cheren murmured, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses as the low sun glinted off the lenses making me flinch.

N and I had to separate for the time being while I went off to investigate Team Plasma along with Rosa and come to find out my best friends Cheren and Touko as well. It was a hard thing for us, but I had made my decision quite clear when we were in Undella town after the plane crash. I had to be a hero—actually I had decided that a while ago—but I had to do something to stand up for this region I had made my home in the past two years. There was no option of letting it crumble at my feet. I was their savior, they believed in me.

"I can't blame him for that… but he could at least help up if he knows anything." I drew a line with my finger in the sand, taking a sharp breath and letting it out slowly—the feeling of moisture and salt on the back of my tongue pungent like one of the ripe fruits sitting in a small picnic basket besides Cheren. Speaking of which-I watched as he reached inside and pulled out a thick tangerine. Somehow I took a mental note of that—Cheren was far too sophisticated for oranges. No of course he needed to have tangerines. I found a disgruntled laugh creep up the back of my throat as he fought with the skin of it, trying to use his too-short nails to peel it back.

Snorting softly I reached over and took the thing from him, clipping a hole in the skin easily with my thumb and pushing back the first layer before letting him take over the rest.

"This isn't the first time you've had to do this for me." Cheren grumbled as he peeled back the rest of the skin. "Thanks."

My mind reeled back to a time and place when Cheren had once struggled with another fruit and the skin of it. We were traveling together at the time, having just left our small town in search of our new futures. We had only just gotten to Accumula Town and decided to stop for a picnic that day—the day before I met N.

I frowned slightly, knowing that was the last time I gave Cheren any whole piece f my heart with no restrictions, and again the nagging feeling of him somehow iloving/i me came back and nipped at my throat. I swallowed stiffly, looking at my awkward swirls in the sand and pulling my knees up to my chest—I rest my chin there with a sigh, trying not to look at Cheren.

He was my best friend… he knew more about me than most people did and I found it hard to believe that I could be so cruel to him. He had been everything for me in my time of need after all—my phone call of encouragement, my partner, my opponent, the one who saved my life for Arceus sake! Cheren had been…

Hiding my face in my knees I heard the gentle sound of his teeth tearing at the flesh of the tangerine. He did so carefully, unaware of the turmoil his concentrated chewing put me through when I stopped to think about it.

"You put sand on it…" He coughed slightly, hesitantly as if he knew that I was deep in though. I looked up to see him eyeing the fruit curiously, a cheek puffed out to one side because he didn't want to crunch down on any more grit.

I couldn't help it… I cracked a smile; rolling my eyes because I knew that a little sand never hurt anyone—hell when Kyouhei was younger he used to eat spoonfuls of sand with no problem (But Arceus forbid I tell anyone that secret of his to anyone). I flicked my chin towards the basket.

"Hand me something."

Cheren peered over the side of it, squinting as if the sun altered his vision or something. "There's nothing left."

"What?" I asked incredulous. "That's impossible I brought like ten fruits!" That was so strange—Cheren had only eaten one and—

Stopping in surprise I turned, looking across the sand back further up the beach to see that Serperior was bathing herself in a patch of warm sunlight, her tail wrapped protectively around the other nine or so fruits.

"Serperior!" I ordered. "You need to share!"

Slowly she began to swallow a grapefruit whole, her emerald green eyes peering innocently at me as if she were just a baby pokemon that didn't know what I was saying. I snorted at her, deciding that later today she would have an extra ten minutes of training or something to make of for it.

Cheren chuckled lightly, his crooked grin—one thing I always noticed about Cheren was how crooked his smile was—twisting down as if it were in pain as well as pleasure.

"I bit it, but you have can the rest." He pushed the peeled tangerine over to me. "And there's sand in it—but that's your fault."

Perching my lips at him I rolled my eyes—like we'd never shared anything before (nope nothing at all. Just oral sex, make out sessions, and alcohol bottles). Stubborn as I was I took it from him and eyed it carefully, thinking that it would be noticeable to bite away from where he bit, and then finding that… even though I intended to do so… I ended up biting the same succulent fleshy side that he had tore at. And I couldn't help but think that maybe… maybe I was trying to see if I would taste his lips once again.

Guilt was instant as I handed the fruit back to him. "There's no sand on it…"

He took a bite and pushed it back at me. "Yes there is."

"Cheren…" I met his dark blue eyes, licking my lips once and… and just watching him. This person that could have been so much more than just my best friend. I hated to admit it but… if it weren't N it would be Cheren.

I wasn't afraid to admit that I loved my book-smart, antisocial-at-first, and gym leader best friend.

The problem was that I loved N more.

"Are you ok?" Cheren murmured, seeing the sad smile play across my lips. "I—I'm just being picky, really… there was like one tiny grain of sand and I—

"Thank you." I cut him off.

He glanced at the half eaten tangerine in his palm and reached out to place it in mine slowly. "You're welcome?"

I shook my head. "Not the fruit… no Cheren I mean for everything. Just… Thank you for being my best friend."

Sun rising just above the ocean waves glinted off his glasses he nodded at me, his lips turning up into a smile so sad and yet so full of love it actually hurt.

"Of course…" He sniffed. "I—I always will be…"


	54. Chapter 54

~N~

No news is good news my beloved Blackie had said when he left me back in Undella town to chase after Team Plasma, to hunt for a battle which had never meant to be his own. I hated leaving him but I knew that I would only cause more problems along the way if I were there. I would want to protect him, I would be irrational, I wouldn't let anyone—enemy or ally—get near him. This was… by far the hardest thing I had to do to let him be who he is.

He may not be the smartest, or the strongest, or the fastest, but he was still a hero and I had to let him be just that. I had to let him go… I had to let him LIVE.

It had been a week since Touya called me, and the conversation still stung in my head like a sharp knife being twisted into my heart.

"Hello?! Blackie!?" I had cried in horror—no news was good news after all. "Are you ok!?"

"Yes, N I'm fine. Calm down." He paused to let me breathe—he didn't exactly sound fine but it certainly was better than what I was expecting. He could have been mangled by now, so I was happy to know he was even still standing.

"I—I have to ask you to do me a favor." He murmured then, as if to let his breathe become one with the wind. "Please watch after my little brother… I—I know you don't want to get involved with Team Plasma but if you can just make sure he is safe…"

My heart seemed to drown in possibilities. "What is he doing?"

"I don't know if he is doing anything dangerous right now but I know that Rosa—Hyuu's friend—wants them to come help us fight. I'm trying to convince her otherwise but she's so fucking stubborn."

The anger was thick in his throat as our minds filled with images of Kyouhei—the poor babe—trying to defend himself against killers. He didn't have it in him and this certainly wasn't a battle for him to be fighting. Suddenly I seemed to grow angry as well, and at this point in our conversation all fear had subsided into a shallow ache—a desire to protect what Touya loved so much.

Touya loved Kyouhei so much, not to mention my own affection for the island boy who brought be back to my lover in the first place. I had to protect him—of course I would.

"I'll watch out for him—I'll try and keep them from getting to Humilau."

"Thank you N, I love you." He whispered to me. "And I miss you."

Breathing softly I pressed my lips to the end of my pokegear. "I love you too, be careful."

"I am." He agreed softly before clicking the end button.

…

~Kyouhei~

"Stop it!" I pushed Hyuu's face away as he bit at my ear. "You are so annoying."

A low whine crept through the back of his throat as he looked at me, the thick outline of lashes casting shadows across his cheekbones making me feel uneasy—he was too handsome when I stopped to notice it. Far too handsome for my own good because I didn't think anyone in particular was handsome or good-looking or anything… I just… somehow felt obligated to Hyuu. Ever since that night we had sex—two days ago.

Rosa had called us for the third time simply begging for our help yesterday morning. She claimed that Tate, the ass-hole ex-shadow triad member had backed out on them, and Touka was on the fence, fighting her gut to help her best friend (which was Touya, my brother) and siding with her fiancé. Hyuu said that we should help her in any way we could, but of course I was quick to disagree and say that it was stupid to do something like that when we had finally gotten back up on our feet—after the plane crash, the emotional crash, and the sex crash we had one after another; it didn't seem right to put each other in anymore dangerous situations.

But then when I took the time to think about it (and with the help of some teasing kisses I DID NOT want) I realized that my brother could be in danger… and for all the years of him taking care of me it was about time I do something to help him. I felt, not only obligated to stand beside him, but to protect him like he would be. Touya would die for me, and I would kill for him, so the playing field had to even out somewhere—I was sure now this was here.

Not to mention some unwanted coaxing kisses… again… that I didn't want…

Hyuu smiled as he leaned back, taking his balmy hands off my sides and letting me go. This was what get for suggesting we walk through the night rather than the day for our traveling—no one was around to stop Hyuu besides me, and it was almost hard for me now.

Deep ocean surrounded us on this fine night—not that we could see it or anything—but rather the light reflecting from the outdoor, underwater light post things they planted beyond the marine tube we walked in. It was glorious; the smell of salt so pungent, Kukui and Alec watching in amazement at the wild pokemon swimming behind the thick glass. The two would occasionally look back and Hyuu and I, either gesturing for us to hurry up because they were getting so far ahead, or shaking their heads because they knew that we knew they knew about us.

I shook my head clear of the thoughts as Kukui swept her long and luxurious tail about the glass, her eyes sparkling with delight as a very small—only about half her size—squirtle fumbled up to the glass and peered in, bubbles spilling out of its nose as he watched in awe at his distance species. A wave of nostalgia hit me at the sight, and I could only just remember how tiny Kukui was when I found her— with nothing but freckles to distinguish her from the other squirtles that would lie leisurely around the island from time to time.

I watched as he waved at us, happy to be alive—happy to be ifree/i in the vast expanse of water just beyond the marine tube. I knew the feeling all too well… the ocean was like an endless blanket. Warm and comforting and so big.

"Hey what do you say?" Hyuu nudged me slightly, lifting my hand in his and curling our fingers together—he leaned in close so that Alec's suspicious ears wouldn't hear anything. "Put the pokemon away— have a little fun…"

I flinched, smacking him in the face lightly and rolling my eyes when he whined about it. "We're in a public place."

"There's no one around and it's been two days…"

"Oh heaven forbid you go two days without getting off." I hissed, though down deep I could feel a growing warmth in my stomach—this wasn't a mean attitude I held towards him, it was just a mildly irritated but also amused one.

"No—I jacked off when you went to sleep last night." He corrected me. "But it's not the same."

I shook my head. "You're going to wear out your penis if you keep doing that."

"That's impossible."

"Maybe it will just fall off then." I suggested. "Then you will have nothing going for you."

Snorting slightly he pushed himself around the side of me, herding me up the glass and putting his hands beside my shoulders. "Are you saying you like my penis?"

I blushed as he pressed his body to mine and pinned me up against the glass.

"Get off!"

His hips rolled lovingly into mine as he let his head fall back, getting lost in the feeling of fabric against his hard. He was ridiculous—humping me in public who did he think he was!?

Shivering I opened my leg to him so that he could knead himself up between my legs further, his strong cock grinding under my meager growing one. All the memories of two nights ago came flooding back to me as he leaned in to kiss the shell of my ear with his luxurious words.

"Just a quicky?"

"Fuck you." I shook my head, though secretly the way his mouth felt nibbling on my ear was transferred to the way he had felt sucking me off and by all means I felt myself growing hot—hotter than normal.

"I'll fuck you…" He purred, his hands groping my hips and ass slowly.

"Worr!" A sudden shout from my pokemon jolted me away from his prying hands. I shoved him with a grunt, totally caught off guard and having forgotten that my beloved partner was watching. Flushing a terrible red I felt my sudden hard deflate, and Hyuu looked like a baby Growlithe that had just been kicked and abandoned.

Alec snickered, his fur fluffed up around his neck and his eyes sparkling as if he was getting ideas from his trainer—my stomach sank at the idea of Kukui and Alec being physical together like Hyuu and I. Could their species even interact like that?

However from the look on Kukui's face she seemed like she truly disliked the idea of sexual interactions and I felt relieved—at least she still had some sense of brains. Unlike myself even—at least Kukui could still hold her own against lust.

Hyuu let out another small whine as I turned and headed the other way, down the marine tunnel and trying to focus on how much I adored the ocean being around us.

"Come on." I said, falling into step beside Kukui and petting her ears once as if to apologize. "We are getting close to Humilau right?"


	55. Chapter 55

~Rosa~

"Are you ready?" I whispered, my feet slithering along the walls of the seaside cave while Lil' Shit's hot and musky breathe lay heavily upon the back of my neck. I wanted to push him away but that might be a little dangerous considering we were on a short ledge trying to keep out balance because below was a pair of Plasma grunts talking to each other. A little further and I would be able to hear as well as attack. Serperior was perched and ready beside me as well as my ugly-ass Mandibuzz who had proven herself a real warrior in the battle against Marlon just a few hours ago. She wasn't even harmed and I I had to admit seeing her take out a full on wailord was quit something. My heart went out to the carrion-eating bird, she was exactly the kind of partner I needed now.

There was also Emolga, who was proving herself a valuable electric type when in the right setting—like about now when the water coated the cave walls. I knew she could penetrate even some of the stronger rock types around here with her electricity and speed—she was good for that if anything.

Also on my team now was a raging, horny bastard I had recently found by pure accident and managed to catch. It was a Scrafty that literally couldn't keep its pants up—and as far as I was concerned Scraggy was the only pokemon known for losing them. The thing had been caught using its thumbs for bad instead of good twice now, and I knew that if something with that much aggression to let off in the form of wanking off while taking a break in training—well it must be worth something. Scrafty was a ruthless fucker that disgusted me, and yet I knew that this mission or this team would not be completely without him.

Arcanine, Serperior Mandibuzz, Emolga, and Scrafty were in it to win it with me and I knew that upon our sixth pokemon we would be the strongest we could be.

As for right now though… it was time to settle and old score—to make Team Plasma pay for what they had done to everyone who ever loved a pokemon. Tate could say that this wasn't my battle to fight all he wanted but I knew that deep down it was—it was everyone's battle.

"There's aint'a soul around. Not a trainer or a pokemon. Yah' wanna tell me the'fuck we were stationed here?" One of the grunts went on with his mission partner, who looked to be getting irritated at the sound of his voice. I couldn't say I blamed him; even for a grunt he was annoying to have to listen to.

"Just stop bitchin'." The other said. "As soon as you let yah' guard down we'll be runnin' into trouble."

I couldn't say I was sure where these grunts came from but I knew that they were foreign because they had the thickest accent lying heavily in their voice. It disgruntled me a little actually—how far had Plasma gone to recruit this time around?

I shook myself free of the worry and just focused on our plan. Emolga and Mandibuzz were on the other side, clinging to the wall ready to drop when I gave them the signal. While Serperior, Lil' Shit and I stood on the ledge about to come in for backup. Horn-dog, the Scrafty, stood back towards the entrance, twitching with pleasure at the idea of a good fight—I vowed to get his balls chopped off after these battles were over.

"Are you ready?" I whispered again in a repeated tone—Emolga heard me from across the cave, her large ears pricking with interest. I nodded once at her and Mandibuzz. "Go."

Within a heartbeat the two flying pokemon soared down from the ledge, letting out a fierce battle cry and created a vibrant echo beyond the ears of the grunts. They turned, horrified in the scene before them and fumbling for the pokeballs at their waists. Madibuzz screeched with hate, bowling into the first one messily while Emolga launched a very sharp and precise attack on the other. They both fell, shaking with pain and trying to cover their face from Mandibuzz as she threatened to pluck their eyes out with her talons. Emolga glided back around to a defensive pose while Scrafty ran forward, unable to control himself.

"Let's go!" I pushed Lil' Shit's face away from me, turning and slipping down the ledge to the awaiting grunts below. Serperior came crashing down with an array of sharp stones just behind me, his leaves rustling and his forked tongue spiking out between his dagger fangs. Gracefully he went hitching his tail up around one grunt and then the other until both were swathed by the eleven feet of my prize grass type.

"Ahh! FUCK!" The grunt snarled, a deep gash inside his head from where Mandibuzz had clawed him. The other was too paralyzed to speak—but I was happy because that was the one with the more annoying voice.

"Alright grunts!" I stepped up to them cracking my knuckles and trying to look intimidating (in the back of my mind I pictured myself with high black boots and a piercing gaze like Touko often wore when she was mad). "Start talking. I want to know just what Team Plasma is up to!"

"Never!" The bloody one cried as Serperior tightened his grip on them.

"Tell me or I'll ki—

"Hahaha…"

Freezing with a sudden realization I paused, my stomach sinking as an all too familiar voice came back to me—back from deep inside my memory where it had stayed hidden from now. That voice… that voice was…

A large, cold hand gripped my shoulder and mimicked the way Serperior squeezed the grunts. I nearly flinched, but held steady trying to push myself to look brave now that I could remember just who this was.

I hadn't exactly prepared to fight anyone else on this encounter… let alone this one person here.

Arcanine let out a hell of a snarl, crouching low and baring his long canines to the man behind me, hand on my shoulder so tightly—and yet somehow it was most intimate touch I had ever felt.

It was Colress, the pokemon scientist that had beaten me into the hospital back in the sewers of Castalia City. My heart began to pound as silence fell—all but a tiny fraction of my sanity screaming at me to defend myself—why did his touch make me frozen? Why did I feel like if I turned to see the sky blue eyes, rimmed beyond large clear glasses I would shatter and crumble and let him beat me again?

Wasn't I stronger than that?

Gritting my teeth I felt his hand move down my shoulder to the side of my arm, and then away gently, the latex of his gloves leaving a cold trail of goosebumps where it had just been. I shivered.

"My dear…" He murmured. "You're pup has grown…"

"Lil' Shit…" I was panting, my heart unbearable in my chest. "Flamethrower…"

He dipped his head at the command, prepared to launch the attack though Colress's hand only returned to my shoulder, and I felt him shift just so, softly out of the way until I stood between him and the flames rising in my Arcanine's throat. He paused, his eyes furious at the distraction. Serperior was too wound up in the grunts to stop him, and the other pokemon I owned hadn't seen the way Colress was, so they mistook his interactions with something of a friend of mine—after all he did touch me so carefully.

I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Let me warn you." Colress dipped his face into my shoulder, inhaling where my hair slipped across my neck. "My beatings only get worse from here on out—call off your precious pokemon my dear."

"N—never!" I bit my lip and closed my eyes, prepared to feel his fist jab into my ribs again—just like last time.

However it was delayed, painfully delayed to a point where I wasn't sure if I should take a chance and open my eyes, or allow myself to breathe in his cologne scent. My throat felt weak, and just as I was about to open my mouth to command all my pokemon to attack another voice stopped me.

"Is this who you are?" it was deadly, a whisper that seemed to echo not through the cave but through the walls of my heart. However much, it was also familiar. "I never thought a lab-rat like you would make it to higher ranks."

"T—Tate?" I my eyes peered open to see the broad chest of the ex-shadow triad member right before me.

"This is my future…" Colress hissed.

"This is not your battle." Tate insisted, and for a moment I was sure he was talking to me—however his silver eyes pierced the individual who stood beyond me.

Was this not Colress's battle? Was this not my battle? Was this only ever meant to be Tate's battle? I didn't understand him as far as his priorities in fighting went, but I knew that for once I was grateful to have him here. Asshole or not Tate was dependable and wanted justice—he wouldn't let Colress beat me.

I swallowed my fear as the ex-Shadow member tilted his eyes downward into the crystal blue ones of the scientist behind me. Colress took a heavy breath, and the two seemed to exchange long lost hate towards one another.

"Step back." Tate said so delicately that I was sure Colress, nor my pokemon, nor the tied up and terrified grunts could hear him.

The hand disappeared from my shoulder though, and again I felt security.

"Return your pokemon." Tate then commanded.

"B—but—

"NOW!" His eyes turned down on mine, and I hadn't a choice but to reach for my belt and obey. One by one my team of five came back to me, and the two grunts instantly fled from the scene when given the chance. Colress was only just stepping back, trying to vanish into the darkness where he originally had come from.

"You don't know what you are getting yourself into." A careful voice came from behind me a way—somehow I knew those words weren't meant for Tate, but only for me. I shivered at the voice as Tate's firm and ice cold hands came around my wrists.

"He's right." The shadow whispered. "Rosa… You need to go home and stop fighting this war."

I shook my head, still too frightened to talk properly. "I—I ca—

Tate snorted in annoyance, looked both way and then sighed.

"Let's get you out of here…"


	56. Chapter 56

~Rosa~

"Are you ready?" I whispered, my feet slithering along the walls of the seaside cave while Lil' Shit's hot and musky breathe lay heavily upon the back of my neck. I wanted to push him away but that might be a little dangerous considering we were on a short ledge trying to keep out balance because below was a pair of Plasma grunts talking to each other. A little further and I would be able to hear as well as attack. Serperior was perched and ready beside me as well as my ugly-ass Mandibuzz who had proven herself a real warrior in the battle against Marlon just a few hours ago. She wasn't even harmed and I I had to admit seeing her take out a full on wailord was quit something. My heart went out to the carrion-eating bird, she was exactly the kind of partner I needed now.

There was also Emolga, who was proving herself a valuable electric type when in the right setting—like about now when the water coated the cave walls. I knew she could penetrate even some of the stronger rock types around here with her electricity and speed—she was good for that if anything.

Also on my team now was a raging, horny bastard I had recently found by pure accident and managed to catch. It was a Scrafty that literally couldn't keep its pants up—and as far as I was concerned Scraggy was the only pokemon known for losing them. The thing had been caught using its thumbs for bad instead of good twice now, and I knew that if something with that much aggression to let off in the form of wanking off while taking a break in training—well it must be worth something. Scrafty was a ruthless fucker that disgusted me, and yet I knew that this mission or this team would not be completely without him.

Arcanine, Serperior Mandibuzz, Emolga, and Scrafty were in it to win it with me and I knew that upon our sixth pokemon we would be the strongest we could be.

As for right now though… it was time to settle and old score—to make Team Plasma pay for what they had done to everyone who ever loved a pokemon. Tate could say that this wasn't my battle to fight all he wanted but I knew that deep down it was—it was everyone's battle.

"There's aint'a soul around. Not a trainer or a pokemon. Yah' wanna tell me the'fuck we were stationed here?" One of the grunts went on with his mission partner, who looked to be getting irritated at the sound of his voice. I couldn't say I blamed him; even for a grunt he was annoying to have to listen to.

"Just stop bitchin'." The other said. "As soon as you let yah' guard down we'll be runnin' into trouble."

I couldn't say I was sure where these grunts came from but I knew that they were foreign because they had the thickest accent lying heavily in their voice. It disgruntled me a little actually—how far had Plasma gone to recruit this time around?

I shook myself free of the worry and just focused on our plan. Emolga and Mandibuzz were on the other side, clinging to the wall ready to drop when I gave them the signal. While Serperior, Lil' Shit and I stood on the ledge about to come in for backup. Horn-dog, the Scrafty, stood back towards the entrance, twitching with pleasure at the idea of a good fight—I vowed to get his balls chopped off after these battles were over.

"Are you ready?" I whispered again in a repeated tone—Emolga heard me from across the cave, her large ears pricking with interest. I nodded once at her and Mandibuzz. "Go."

Within a heartbeat the two flying pokemon soared down from the ledge, letting out a fierce battle cry and created a vibrant echo beyond the ears of the grunts. They turned, horrified in the scene before them and fumbling for the pokeballs at their waists. Madibuzz screeched with hate, bowling into the first one messily while Emolga launched a very sharp and precise attack on the other. They both fell, shaking with pain and trying to cover their face from Mandibuzz as she threatened to pluck their eyes out with her talons. Emolga glided back around to a defensive pose while Scrafty ran forward, unable to control himself.

"Let's go!" I pushed Lil' Shit's face away from me, turning and slipping down the ledge to the awaiting grunts below. Serperior came crashing down with an array of sharp stones just behind me, his leaves rustling and his forked tongue spiking out between his dagger fangs. Gracefully he went hitching his tail up around one grunt and then the other until both were swathed by the eleven feet of my prize grass type.

"Ahh! FUCK!" The grunt snarled, a deep gash inside his head from where Mandibuzz had clawed him. The other was too paralyzed to speak—but I was happy because that was the one with the more annoying voice.

"Alright grunts!" I stepped up to them cracking my knuckles and trying to look intimidating (in the back of my mind I pictured myself with high black boots and a piercing gaze like Touko often wore when she was mad). "Start talking. I want to know just what Team Plasma is up to!"

"Never!" The bloody one cried as Serperior tightened his grip on them.

"Tell me or I'll ki—

"Hahaha…"

Freezing with a sudden realization I paused, my stomach sinking as an all too familiar voice came back to me—back from deep inside my memory where it had stayed hidden from now. That voice… that voice was…

A large, cold hand gripped my shoulder and mimicked the way Serperior squeezed the grunts. I nearly flinched, but held steady trying to push myself to look brave now that I could remember just who this was.

I hadn't exactly prepared to fight anyone else on this encounter… let alone this one person here.

Arcanine let out a hell of a snarl, crouching low and baring his long canines to the man behind me, hand on my shoulder so tightly—and yet somehow it was most intimate touch I had ever felt.

It was Colress, the pokemon scientist that had beaten me into the hospital back in the sewers of Castalia City. My heart began to pound as silence fell—all but a tiny fraction of my sanity screaming at me to defend myself—why did his touch make me frozen? Why did I feel like if I turned to see the sky blue eyes, rimmed beyond large clear glasses I would shatter and crumble and let him beat me again?

Wasn't I stronger than that?

Gritting my teeth I felt his hand move down my shoulder to the side of my arm, and then away gently, the latex of his gloves leaving a cold trail of goosebumps where it had just been. I shivered.

"My dear…" He murmured. "You're pup has grown…"

"Lil' Shit…" I was panting, my heart unbearable in my chest. "Flamethrower…"

He dipped his head at the command, prepared to launch the attack though Colress's hand only returned to my shoulder, and I felt him shift just so, softly out of the way until I stood between him and the flames rising in my Arcanine's throat. He paused, his eyes furious at the distraction. Serperior was too wound up in the grunts to stop him, and the other pokemon I owned hadn't seen the way Colress was, so they mistook his interactions with something of a friend of mine—after all he did touch me so carefully.

I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Let me warn you." Colress dipped his face into my shoulder, inhaling where my hair slipped across my neck. "My beatings only get worse from here on out—call off your precious pokemon my dear."

"N—never!" I bit my lip and closed my eyes, prepared to feel his fist jab into my ribs again—just like last time.

However it was delayed, painfully delayed to a point where I wasn't sure if I should take a chance and open my eyes, or allow myself to breathe in his cologne scent. My throat felt weak, and just as I was about to open my mouth to command all my pokemon to attack another voice stopped me.

"Is this who you are?" it was deadly, a whisper that seemed to echo not through the cave but through the walls of my heart. However much, it was also familiar. "I never thought a lab-rat like you would make it to higher ranks."

"T—Tate?" I my eyes peered open to see the broad chest of the ex-shadow triad member right before me.

"This is my future…" Colress hissed.

"This is not your battle." Tate insisted, and for a moment I was sure he was talking to me—however his silver eyes pierced the individual who stood beyond me.

Was this not Colress's battle? Was this not my battle? Was this only ever meant to be Tate's battle? I didn't understand him as far as his priorities in fighting went, but I knew that for once I was grateful to have him here. Asshole or not Tate was dependable and wanted justice—he wouldn't let Colress beat me.

I swallowed my fear as the ex-Shadow member tilted his eyes downward into the crystal blue ones of the scientist behind me. Colress took a heavy breath, and the two seemed to exchange long lost hate towards one another.

"Step back." Tate said so delicately that I was sure Colress, nor my pokemon, nor the tied up and terrified grunts could hear him.

The hand disappeared from my shoulder though, and again I felt security.

"Return your pokemon." Tate then commanded.

"B—but—

"NOW!" His eyes turned down on mine, and I hadn't a choice but to reach for my belt and obey. One by one my team of five came back to me, and the two grunts instantly fled from the scene when given the chance. Colress was only just stepping back, trying to vanish into the darkness where he originally had come from.

"You don't know what you are getting yourself into." A careful voice came from behind me a way—somehow I knew those words weren't meant for Tate, but only for me. I shivered at the voice as Tate's firm and ice cold hands came around my wrists.

"He's right." The shadow whispered. "Rosa… You need to go home and stop fighting this war."

I shook my head, still too frightened to talk properly. "I—I ca—

Tate snorted in annoyance, looked both way and then sighed.

"Let's get you out of here…"


	57. Chapter 57

~Touya~

I entrusted him to do this for me… I believed in him with all my heart but when N said that he just simply couldn't FIND my brother Kyouhei I was at a loss of words—was N lying to me? Had he not truly tried to stop Kyouhei from coming to Humilau city? Or was he being honest? I hated this more than anything and I knew that there was nothing I could do—this raid was happening now and I hadn't a lick of time.

Rosa was to my left, her powerful fire type flanking her right side and Tate stood beyond us, his eyes reddened with had for the girl who so rudely challenged him—though in some ways or another I felt like Tate and Rosa were far too alike to hate each other. They were both stubborn as all hell, and they both had good motives but the wrong actions.

Touko was upset over her fiancé fighting this war and no matter how many times I tried to explain to her that this was going to be ok—that her lover would be fine because out of all of us he was the most capable—she still refused to believe as such. And to make it worse Touko seemed only to believe that N was our fighting chance. She wanted the former king to step up and do something to truly make right what he originally did wrong. I disagreed—all I wanted N to do was watch out for my little brother.

And it seemed he couldn't even handle that at the moment, considering upon leaving the hotel room this morning I saw him chatting on the gym porch with the leader over his water pokemon, Kukui. I couldn't say anything however, that would only make him more concerned and possibly more willing to help—luckily for me Rosa didn't see them and I was under the impression that she thought they were coming tomorrow. I spent of hell of a lot of time convincing her now was the time to strike because of that factor anyways. I didn't want it getting ruined.

Anyways, I knew I would have a long list of things to yell at N for later tonight when I got the chance to call him—IF I got the chance that is.

Swallowing hard I felt Cheren at my right side, taking a deep breath as he allowed himself to bask in the glory of the team Plasma ship that had crept closer to the shoreline over night. Surely they were planning their attack soon, frustrating as it was. Now not only was N not watching after Kyouhei, but he had allowed him to come here when Plasma was ready to attack.

I shivered at the thought, trying to push aside my negative emotions and allow myself to believe that this was plausible. That we—Cheren, Rosa and I- could take down this group of rogues.

"Are you ready?" Rosa hissed. "What are we waiting for?"

The silence subsided as a wave crashed upon out feet making Cheren grunt softly in distress. "I'm a terrible swimmer…"

"I'll be right there." I said as Rosa fumbled with her pokeball in order to call back her Arcanine. We weren't actually swimming out to the ship, but rather flying on our pokemon to it. Rosa was taking her hideous Mandibuzz and Cheren and I would be on the wings of his Bravairy.

"I hope it works." Cheren took a deep breath. "I hope to Arceus this works."

"It will!" Rosa insisted, calling out her pokemon. The ugly bird was hunched over with its narrow beak parted in a low shriek, obviously ready for battle and nothing less. I waited as Cheren called out the larger bird that we would be riding on. It would be a tough flight for him; however I knew that it was possible. The distance wasn't long.

Silently we hitched ourselves together on our birds, Rosa looking lopsided and awkward since she had never done this before. Bravairy looked strained but not unwilling as Cheren and I clambered on, me taking the lead because I knew Cheren was afraid of being over the water like this. His hands curled around my middle as I leaned over the bird to balance him better. In the back of my mind I was thinking that if I could hold onto the legendary Reshiram then I could hold onto this bird as well.

"Careful now." I said as Rosa's agitated pokemon leapt from the bound and into the sky, not hesitating to squawk as she gripped its neck feathers.

"Alright bravairy." Cheren chirped not a moment before the bird took off into the sky, flapping twice as hard as Rosa's did because of the extra weight.

Cheren's face found its way into my shoulder blade as the water turned from a murky pale to a deep blue below us, and the white caps seemed to gather in bunches that could be deadly.

"Are you scared?" I asked Cheren as we picked up height and speed, gliding through the air towards the ship.

"No." He insisted. "Not to fight them no… just… of losing you."

"Cheren." I snorted as easily as I could. "Nothing will happen to us—and Tate and Touko are there for backup if we need them."

He silently shook his head, no comment allowing his mind to further degrade itself into me, and I sighed.

"We will be careful." I insisted. "I'll watch your back and you watch mine."

….

~N~

I couldn't find him. Hyuu and the poor babe I so desperately wanted to find—for the sake of my Blackie and his love for the younger brother. I had to find him and I couldn't, and no amount of calling Touya was going to help that. He had turned his phone off late last night and didn't call me this morning, and I wasn't so sure that no news was good news anymore. Had Kyouhei already joined the fight? Was he in Humilau? Was this the last straw for me? Would I have to take action and face up to team Plasma?

That would cause a world of problems for me and for everyone I cared about—be it a pokemon, Blackie, or my new favorite little brother. Fighting plasma would stir up Unova in a new way, in a sense in which no one would remain unharmed. They would want me dead, and I wouldn't be able to deny my hate and anger for what they had done to me. Through a lot of pain I knew that it would eventually fall upon my hands to turn the tides again—I had done it once before so I didn't doubt myself.

What I doubted was how people would react. It was obvious that the everyday Unovan wasn't thrilled about the name "N Harmonia" and for the latter of those people it wasn't as if it was even a neutral feeling. It was hate. These people hated me… even though they never truly understood me to begin with.

I suppose the bottom line is that regardless of if I am on Touya's side in this war, if I join it, people will think I'm rising with Team Plasma… therefore I can't exactly help when I'm going to be getting treated as an enemy. There wasn't anything I could do to fight with them or against them, and it hurt me to know I was failing at such a task I had been given—by my lover none the less.

Touya would be so upset with me if Kyouhei showed up in Humilau…

"Reshiram!" I yelled over the roar of wind, whipping my hair back from my face in a long wave of tea green. "North ok!? Towards Humilau!"

I wasn't sure if I was too late or not… but I wasn't going to stop now at least.

…..

~Rosa~

"Lil Shit!" I ordered, my hands shaking as two Shadow Triad members flitted about me in an arrangement of vigorous dancing—something odd with their teleporting abilities that made them look like they were gliding over the air, never touching the ground but leaping from place to place on this massive ship, disorienting me and sending their pokemon—a collection of pawniard—to take jabs at me when they had the chance.

Luckily however they were duel steal type pokemon, therefore they were extremely weak to fire and my Arcanine was fast as lighting—able to knock them out swiftly again. The Traid—or shouldn't it be a duo now that Tate was fighting separately against them?—was losing steam quickly.

From the corner of my eye I could see that Serperior was wrapped in a vicious battle with another snake pokemon, though I hadn't the slightest clue what it was. It had strange shiny scales that were both deep blues and black and bright yellows that seemed to glitter under the sun. It made my leafy snake look like something more of a serpents standards, and I was impressed. Serperior was shorter than the other snake and keeping up perfectly fine, launching his attacks through and through, never stopping to even take a breath. He was a warrior.

Arcanine was a warrior, Serperior was a warrior, and my other pokemon were warriors as well. I was so proud of them, for this moment in time I had never wanted anything more than victory with these creatures I loved. I wanted power. I wanted to know that I was the best.

Of course my hope subsided the moment I looked over to see the one true greatest trainer, his shoulders backed up against his alley as his eyes flickered back and forth, looking ready to leap to his friends savior if needed. I could tell by simply the way he had his arm up, as if that could shield Cheren from anything… he looked fearless but… there was something else in his eyes. Some unknown devotion that I just didn't understand. It was like trying to read between the complicated lines of some old novel—some tattered but not worn novel.

Touya was the hero of Unova, and if my pokemon were warriors then his single Serperior was a GOD. Fast and sleek and screaming from here to there, sending blood splattering across the wooden deck of the ship; this thing was crazy in battle—it made mine look like a novice.

So naturally I just couldn't look at Touya and his partner pokemon any longer, I had to just focus on mine and know that maybe someday if I never stopped trying I could be that good too.

"Team PLASMA!" A commander's megaphone type howl screamed from high above us. "RETREAT!"

What? Already?

Stunned I whirled around, colliding with Arcanine who snorted and growled with surprise, then throwing his massive head over my shoulders as the extra crispy pawniard were called back to their balls and the Shadows began to disappear. The megaphone sounded once again, but not before a single mind numbing squeal reached our ears, penetrating through to my bones as it cut off in a harsh gurgle. Wide eyed I turned, looking past Lil' Shit's shoulder to where Serperior—mine, not Touya's—had pinned someone to the ground and sank his teeth into their throat.

This as their reason to retreat—not that we were winning, but because my own pokemon had gotten a hold of someone they never expected to see go down. I gasped, my legs turning to jello before me as my beloved pokemon lifted his massive head, realizing just what had happened upon the human blood in his mouth. He hissed a loud, shocked hiss as silence fell upon the deck. Blood dripping from his jaw to the reddened flesh below him.

"N—No." I choked, my knees giving out on me as the Serperior turned, away from the now flickering figure and looking back at me. His eyes were pierced with horror, regret, and misery.

"No!" Touya yelled then—of course mimicking my thoughts but taking action. His honor, his heart depending on it as he raced towards the wide eyed and panic stricken Ex Shadow Triad member.

Serperior had mistaken Tate for one of the others, and by accident he had sank his dagger fangs into his throat.

"TATE!" Touya howled, and Cheren dipped beside him putting a hand on his shoulder, perhaps to afraid of his friend's pain to let him see it.

"No…" I whispered as the ex-shadow stopped flickering, giving up on his last chance to teleport away. He was choking on his own blood as the red poured from just above his collar bone.

A low moan escaped Arcanine's jaws as I clung to him for support, my hand trembling and my eyes wide.

What were we going to tell Touko? That my pokemon accidentally killed her fiancé?

Heart pounding in my chest I recalled the time after time that Tate warned me—he swore I had no business being here in this battle, and all I could do as stubbornly refuse.

As he right all along? Was I not skilled enough to control my pokemon? After all I had been paying attention to Arcanine more than Serperior, so I didn't see when he leapt for the shadow triad member.

I didn't know… he didn't know. It was an accident.

But maybe Tate had been trying to prevent that all along? Maybe me being here was a mistake because I was prone to accidents?

Maybe I wasn't skilled enough to handle this kind of war.

"Oh Arceus…" Touya, who was so kind and so loving and careful, wiped his face from the fresh fallen tears as he knelt over the body—the corpse I had created.

Serperior slithered to me for protection, his eyes wide with agony at what he had done—though his jaws still shimmered with fresh blood. It dripped on my feet.

"No." I shook my head, realizing that I had created a monster of a pokemon. I hadn't controlled Serperior and I only ever wanted him to be stronger. In the end this was the worst thing I could have done. I realized it now… my fault. It was my fault "NO!"

He shrunk away from me, rejection shining in his eyes like cold stones.

"I DON'T WANT YOU ANYMORE!" I sobbed, holding my chest as he tried to push his bloody nose into my side—begging me to understand. "YOU JUST KI—KILLED HIM!"

Arcanine leaned down beside me on the deck as I fell, shoving my pokemon away and feeling my heart shatter. How could I do this? How could I have raised this pokemon?

"GO! J—JUST GO!"

"Rosa!" Cheren's voice disagreed with me as my pokemon began to slither off,

"GO!" I screeched, my head throbbing as tunnels of black started to come over me. Arcanine held me, his thick head supporting my leaning on him. I felt like gravity was coming down on me as Serperior—who didn't even know his own strength—fled from the scene. I wasn't sure where he was going since we were off the shore on a ship… but I was glad he took the trail of blood with him.

Sickened with myself I allowed pain to ebb across my heart.

And a moment later I had collapsed.


	58. Chapter 58

~Hyuu~

"I don't understand Kyou…" I murmured, thinking back to the frantic phone call the other day—just before we arrived in Humilau to satisfy Rosa. "She hasn't even called and… she sounded so desperate before."

"Who cares?" He purred a lulling sound, feeling the sun on his back as our small cabin came with large open windows that let in a sea breeze. We were staying right on the water, and I knew that… even with the worry of Rosa and what could be happening with team Plasma—this was also going to be one of the most amazing times of my life—seeing Kyouhei this happy.

If he thought Undella was beautiful he must have thought that Humilau was a dream of pure splendor and glory. I had caught him out in the ocean a few times already—waking up in the middle of the night because the tide got high, only to find him gone, or when I woke up from a shower this morning, he had vanished once again to the salty waves below. I couldn't be upset by this, though it felt like he had fallen in love with someone else other than me—he was just so damn happy. So… perfect.

Plus the ocean had always been his first love. I knew that wasn't changing.

"I just feel like we should do something." I murmured, kneeling over and laying beside Kyouhei. I rested one arm on his warm, tanned back and sighed when his large milky eyes (so much lighter when his skin was this color) turned up to look at me. They were not the hostile or even hasty like I had grown so used to, but instead a warm and peaceful accepting color. I loved it. I loved him so much.

"If she doesn't call today then we could call her…" He suggested, pulling his hand up and resting it beside my neck, which had been scorched by the sun yesterday. "Hyuu did you put sunscreen on?"

I nodded. He should know by now that I burned no matter how much of SPF was coating me. My shoulders where still peeling from Undella for Arceus's sake.

"I'm going to end up getting skin cancer." I sighed sarcastically—really I wasn't that worried. Everyone got a bad sunburn once or twice in their lifetime.

"Maybe." Kyouhei didn't look unnerved by the idea. "Or maybe your skin will adjust over time."

"It will all peel off." I snorted, running my fingers across his sleek golden brown shoulders. He had acquired so many more freckles in the last week or so, each one a fascination to me. It was as if the sun was able to kiss him and leave these precious marks wherever it pleased—I was almost a little jealous at the idea.

"Hmm…" Kyouhei murmured softly as I rubbed his back. "You know… Hyuu… I was thinking…"

"About what?"

"It's been… what three days since we…"

"Four." I nearly choked. I had been counting the days since we had sex as if my life depended on it, and while the idea had faded into an accepted misery by yesterday, and I had allowed myself not to ask him anymore, I realized that I still wanted more so bad. The memory of his fleshy backside sucking me in made me twitch with anticipation.

"Are you finally ready?" I couldn't help myself from asking.

He turned his head the other way for a moment, staring out the huge open window at the sapphire waves that lapped around us. The smell of salt was pungent in the air and I could see that he was drinking it in—letting that aroma and flavor drench the back of his throat before answering me.

"Yeah." He allowed, still staring out the window. "I am…"

…

~Touya~

"Just one room." I asked to the lady at the front desk, who seemed to be obviously concerned by the amount of blood that was stained into my shirt from carrying Tate's corpse back to the mainland. I couldn't believe what had happened today. And all so suddenly and so fast… I felt like a huge part of my world had been knocked out from under me. Tate dying was the last thing anyone expected, but Rosa's pokemon causing it was… it wasn't even in the list of things that could have happened—not in a million years.

Once we got to shore we called an ambulance and waited what felt like a million years, just staring down at his cold body and mangled throat. I had never particularly liked Tate, since he was an asshole that didn't want to get along with anyone, but I had respected him. I appreciated his loathing of Team Plasma and I knew that he made one of my best friends happy. I respected him to be Touko's fiancé, and I had awaited a day when I could be best man at their wedding… but not anymore.

Touko had come to the shore as quickly as she could; riding my beloved Zekrom and eventually handing him back over to me for good. She sounded as if her love for the legendary beast had collapse and she wanted nothing to do with him anymore—not while Tate was her priority. Touko was a wreck… to put it simple she had… been hysterical. Screaming and sobbing and demanding to know what happened until Rosa worked up the strength to tell her.

Cheren and I had to hold Touko back when she found out that Rosa's Serperior had killed her fiancé… so that Touko didn't kill Rosa herself in revenge.

Eventually Rosa left, broken and defeated, and Touko calmed down into the misery that would eat her alive for the next—oh say two years?

If I knew anything about losing the person you loved it was the amount of pain that came afterwards. The abandonment, the hate, the sadness… I just hoped Touko would fare better than I did—even just a little.

Hours later Cheren and I left Touko to herself with her fiancé in the hospital, and this is where we ended up, as always, needing a hotel room for the night because… well because what else could we do?

"Black—you already have a cabin arranged. Number 6?" The lady looked up carefully, her green eyes full of worry. "Did you forget?"

"What?" I looked at Cheren, my eyes stinging of exhaustion.

"No… you must be mistaking." Cheren murmured—he, out of all of us, as taking this whole situation the best. He was calm and collected and I hated the fact that I knew it was all for me—so that I wouldn't break down. "We haven't ordered a cabin."

"What cabin?" I asked in dismay. "We just need a room."

"We don't have rooms here—only cabins out over the water." The lady explained softly. "And I believe you are right, sorry my mistake—another Black came through here this morning and ordered a cabin."

I didn't quite catch that at first, but it dawned on me that "another Black" could only truly be one other person. Fury rose in my chest as I realized that the one thing I begged N to do for me hadn't been done—and that Kyouhei was here.

"Fuck." I snarled under my breath as Cheren leaned in to tell her to put his name down instead—he paid for it flat with too much money.

"Why wouldn't he watch him?!" I yelled, imagining that it could have been Kyouhei's mangled throat under Serperior's fangs. Didn't N understand!?

"Cabin fourteen." The lady Cheren the card keys with wide eyes, unsure of what to make of this scene—two dirty and bloody guys having problems just trying to get a cabin for the night. Of course she must recognize us—by the look in her eyes she knew who I was, and Cheren wasn't exactly an insignificant figure in Unova either.

"Come on… Touya—no. It's ok." My best friend put his arm around me as I covered my mouth in anger and frustration. I missed N almost as much as I was mad at him for not watching my little brother—and that was a bad combination. For as much as I wanted to slap him I wanted to have sex with him and just let the world wash away. I wanted to touch him again and feel him and forget that Team Plasma was even a threat.

"We can go talk to Kyouhei." Cheren pulled me along out of the reception area and back onto the thick wooden docks. The tide was high at this time, the moon settling on the water and casting a white glow across it. The waves lapped selfishly at the shoreline and I wasn't sure I would make it to our cabin without some internal damage. Everything was going wrong—everything.

"Touya… Come on." Cheren shook his head. "It's ok."

Taking a deep breath and clutching the bloody shirt over my heart I moved, my trembling legs taking me slowly down. Cheren urged me on gently, his glasses flashing in the moonlight when he turned in the right moment, and his deep blue eyes always keeping an eye on me.

"It'll be ok." He whispered as we headed past the first set of cabins—surely Kyouhei's was down there—and onto the next where ours was.

The door opened easily with the card key, and I didn't hesitate before going inside. If anything was right it was the fact that I couldn't talk to my brother the way I looked now. I had to look decent—pull myself together before approaching him because Arceus knows if I did something wrong he would snap back and… I couldn't exactly take any more fighting today.

Fumbling in the dark of the room Cheren left my side for the light switch, and as I reached down to pull my pokegear out of my back pocket I anticipated calling N and giving him the most desperate, hateful, and miserable speech I could summon. I was about to turn the thing on, as tears started to swell in my eyes.

"Touya." Cheren came back to my side, reaching past me to close our front door.

His hand settled on the pokegear. "Forget about it. You're just going to make yourself more angry."

Gritting my teeth I threw the thing on the floor away from me—Cheren was right. There was no purpose in calling N just to hate myself even more. Just to be angry with him for not doing something for me. Maybe I shouldn't have trusted him at all to begin with—maybe this was my fault.

Gently I could feel Cheren's hands sliding behind me, pulling me into his chest and letting me put my head there.

"I'm sorry." He whispered to me. "I'm sorry that this is hurting you."

I wasn't sure what Cheren meant by that—be it N in particular or Team Plasma or my little brother or whatever. Everything seemed to be taking its toll on me now. Sniffing I clutched at Cheren's back, holding to him as if it would bring me back from this feeling.

We stood there for along moment, him holding a handful of my dirty hair and then eventually sighing. I could feel his heartbeat against mine—soft and assuring. It seemed to urge mine down a notch just as he had urged me on outside a moment ago.

"Th—thank you." I swallowed, allowing myself to breathe. The tears stopped in their tracks and I had to remind myself that everything happened for a reason.

Cheren pushed me back carefully, looking at me and forcing a tired, sad smile. "Why don't you take a shower? You'll feel better after you take one…"

I nodded, knowing he was right.

"Yeah."

"And Touya…" He said to me as I turned to find the bathroom.

I glanced back at him running a hand through his hair.

"I know you don't love me—and that's ok. But you know I love you… right?"

I huffed a short, unpleasant breath and nodded, my heart cracking in my chest once again at the idea that… had it not been for N, Cheren could be my one and only. Cheren… he was my best friend. I trusted him with my life which was saying a lot since… at the moment I couldn't even trust N with my little brother's life—Kyouhei meant more to me than myself anyways.

"Cheren…" I murmured, tears swelling back up in my eyes. Why did I want to tell him how much I loved him? Why did I want to tell him to hold me again? Why did this suddenly feel so wrong and yet so right?

"I'm sorry." He adjusted his collar in embarrassment. "I know… I know I shouldn't say anything."

"It's ok." I swallowed. "And don't be sorry… I—I'm sorry."

Heart pounding I found my way to the bathroom.


	59. Chapter 59

~Rosa~

"I—I DIDN'T MEAN IT SERPERIOR!" I cried, my stomach in a knot as the waves of the ocean lapped at my feet. I didn't mean it… I didn't want him to leave me… I—I couldn't go on without him by my side. He was my partner.

Broken sobs fell from my chest like rain as Arcanine placed his huge head over my shoulder again—holding onto me as if he knew that I had learned my lesson, and that this was a punishment no one deserved. I ached… all over with regret and pain and… pure shame.

How could I have thought that for so long winning was the only answer? That getting revenge on Team Plasma and stopping this was my ultimate goal? I was foolish… I was downright stupid to think that.

I realized now, with the moon beating down on me from over the ocean, and the black shallow waves rolled in with a mighty roar. The ocean—so dark and so violent…. It was this fear that had me believing that I had lost something much greater than just an ally today. I had lost something far more important…

Tate was a good person… despite his background with Team Plasma he had always been on our side. Though with different motives, ideas, and regrets, Tate had followed what he believed to be right, and he never thought otherwise. I knew the reason we fought so much was because I was the same way… which irked me even more.

Had I been a little more submissive—held my tongue or controlled myself once in a while—Tate may or may not have been killed, and Serperior wouldn't be gone… I wouldn't have lost something so important to me.

"S—Serperior…" I clung to Arcanine, who had been faithful to me from day one—no, even before day one. He had been faithful to me as a puppy in my mother's house when I used to shove him around and tell him to run away. No matter how mean I had been to him… he had accepted it as such and… and I wasn't sure I deserved him now. I wasn't sure I deserved his pity.

"Grrrraaahh…." He moaned softly, nosing me and sighing. His strong shoulders heaved lightly.

"I—I'm sorry I was never nice to you…" I murmured, sniffling and sucking back my regret. Why hadn't I just listened to Tate? Why hadn't I allowed myself to take a step back and let things happen differently? This was my fault… and no one elses.

Arcanine rumbled throatily before tilting his head back to the air and breathing in a long sigh. His ears flicked slightly, and his nostrils twitched as if he could smell a bad memory as it interrupted his brain. I stopped, looked up at him, and then was met with a low but still loud bark.

I grunted as Arcanine tore away from me, his mouth parted slightly and his heavy fur sticking up as he tore through the sand.

"A—Arcanine!" I yelled in disdain, though he obviously wasn't running so fast as to lose me—he could be out of here in a moment's time if he really wanted to.

I ran after him, up the shore a little ways until I could feel rocks beginning to clump under my feet, and my pokemon was trudging upwards. He climbed a narrow (only for him) ledge that seemed to wind through reeds and salty smelling puddles, occasionally huffing a bark or a yelp.

"What the hell?" I wanted to sit down and just cry—just lose my mind of everything that had happened in the last day. I wanted to forget all about how cruel I was to Serperior, and how stupid I was to think that Tate was wrong and I was right all the time. I wanted to forget how much pain I had caused Touko—oh poor Touko… I had looked up to her as a person and I caused her so much pain…

I wanted to forget about the moment my whole world came crashing down.

I just wanted to cry.

And of course Arcanine just had to run away, now of all times leading me to a place I didn't know. What was his problem?

Biting my lip I climbed the small cliffside with him, pausing here and again as he did to sniff the air and bark.

"Arcanine…" I moaned as he bounded off again, beyond the ledge of the cliffside with the moon reflecting just beyond his head. His fiery fur cast a mourning silver glow, similar to the way to grass blew and my heart crackled. I imagined silvery, cold water slipping out of the cracks like the waves filled the tide pools below us—filling my lungs with pain.

He stopped then, halting and looking back at me with large shining eyes. I stumbled over slowly, expecting him to take off again, only to find that something else had risen out of the grass.

It was long, lean, strong, and flickering in the moonlight—every scale like the silvery water in my mind, and a pair of vibrant, but sad yellow eyes calling to me. I shivered, everything about today flooding me, drowning me, and coming out in heavy tears—tears I couldn't control now. I hiccupped, breathed, and hit my knees with a sharp thud.

"I—I—I'm so sorry!" I cried, covering my face as Serperior slithered forward. "I—I didn't mean it… I—I… I can't stand what I said… I—I'm sorry…"

I felt the looming yellow eyes creep into me, scales cold and damn and a flickering tongue piercing through a layer of teeth to touch the uncomfortable air. I closed my eyes, trying to hold myself as the wind blew and my pokemon came before me, his large flat head lodging itself in the crook of my neck and shoulder and pushing me stiffly. He made a soft grunting noise, his tail carefully wrapping around me and holding me tightly.

Arcanine came back then too, sitting heavily at my side and pushing his head against the opposite shoulder from Serperior. The sobs came faster and harder, heavily on my eager emotions, and the forgiveness of my partners—my true friends.

I wasn't sure up until now how it felt to be this way with someone, even though Hyuu had always been there for me… it never felt quite like this—like lives were on the line if we weren't together. Like I would take a killing blow for either of these two, and they would do the same for me. I hadn't even noticed but… but I had somehow established a feeling of love for them.

Hugging my arms around Serperior I trembled, the moon casting light upon us at the top of this small beach cliff overlooking the black propitious ocean below. Somehow I knew that no matter how thing splayed out now there was only one real answer to everything. It was trust, compassion, forgiveness, and love.

How had I been so stupid?

"I—I'm sorry…" I closed my eyes and forced a deep breath into my chest. "I—I'm going to make this right… I don't know h—how… but I will…"

Heavily my pokemon lay beside me, understanding, respecting… loving me despite what I had done.

This was it… I realized with such apprehension. This was what it was all about. Not the battles, not the winning, not the training or even the success…it was the partnership.

"T—thank you." I whispered to both my partners. "Thanks you for being m—mine."

…..

~Kyouhei~

"Dammit Hyuu…" I groaned at the pain in my lower back as we headed towards the mainland to get something to eat before finding Rosa for the day. She was here apparently—she had text us late last night saying that she needed to see us and that she wanted us to know she appreciated us. Now… I hadn't the slightest clue what wild hair had crawled up her butt and made her act this way—but Hyuu thought she was going to commit suicide so he was all but freaking out. And as if to make it worse she didn't tell us anything about what happened with Team Plasma, therefore we assumed it was bad.

Had we lost a battle that we hadn't even fought in? I wasn't sure if this was a good or a bad thing… and I didn't know if I cared yet or not… but I wanted to make sure everyone was ok… especially if it concerned my brother.

"What?" Hyuu asked, squeezing my hand with a familiar irritation—it was the kind of regard I had towards him for so long.

"My ass hurts…" I muttered, not wanting to rub it in public, but wishing that it could have lasted longer in our cabin.

Hyuu did me well I must say… better than the first time and hundred times easier—but still painful. He had held my body with hi strong arms even if I wanted to collapse, and he had been so generous to me, acting as if my life depended on the way his hard had stroked me. Every thick inch of him prying open those walls inside of me… making me gasp and making me want to cry for more. The pleasure was too great, the heat had been tasteful, and the whole thing was something I knew I could never forget. Even more so than the first time, this was… something I couldn't comprehend. Something that had fucked my mind almost as much as he fucked me.

And of course, left me with a terrible pain and making it hard to walk.

Kukui cast me a humorous but slightly disturbed look as I shoved my hands in my pockets and put pressure on my slender hip bones—where Hyuu had held on, gripping me and pulling me back to meet the harsh pounding of his own hips.

"Warr…." She shook her head slightly, though she herself held Alec's hand and looked about as love struck as could be. The handsome Dewott beside her looked proud.

Hyuu merely rolled his eyes at me, for once uncaring because of this dilemma we had looking for Rosa.

"Where should we go?" He mused. "There is a coffee and tea shop up the shore a little…"

I shrugged. Tea sounded good to me, and knowing this kind of area they would have fresh fruits and things to eat as well.

"Sure." I allowed.

"No!"

A sharp, familiar voice jolted us around, unexpectedly making my heart skip a beat in fear as a large hand clamped down on my shoulder. I gasped, instinctively wrapping myself into Hyuu's shape for protection—and then realizing just what a wimp I must look like.

"What the hell was that for!?" I ran a hand through my hair, slowly pulling myself away from Hyuu's chest—wondering at the same time how my first reaction had been to grab him for safety.

"You have to get out of here." The man with the long, tea green hair looked down upon us. It was N, my brother's lover, of all people…

Hyuu sized up to him, still irritated from Arceus knows what. "What do you mean we have to get out of here?"

"It's not safe. Team Plasma is coming closer to the mainland and if you don't get out of here you are going to get hurt."

"We're here because Rosa needs our help." He grumbled. "And we can take care of ourselves."

He looked horrified at the decisions we were making, and his pale face seemed to grow even more pale in the early morning sun. "No… You can't do this. You can't try and fight something this big—you're not strong enough!"

I didn't want to look like I was cowering, but the ferocity of N's emerald eyes seemed to startle us, and Hyuu's hand felt more weighted in my own. Maybe we weren't the strongest trainers ever… but we still had hope that things could be ok. We still had to help.

"You can't tell us what to do and what not to do."

N's lip curled as he looked over at our pokemon, now standing firm beside one another but sporting completely different expressions. Dewott looked vicious, as if he hated the idea of N reading Kukui's mind, while she herself looked pleading, almost lovingly while N listened to what she spoke so loudly only to him. I wished I could hear it for once… her thoughts as they were—what kind of world that would open up to me as her partner.

A soft silence fell for a moment, and Hyuu looked ready to drag me away from him if nothing changed, however…

"Kukui…" I murmured as she sniffed, shaking her head softly.

"She doesn't want you to fight Team Plasma…" N allowed. "But she will fight with you if that's what you really want."

My heart seemed to crackle in my chest as I imagined Kukui—who was still relatively small to be fighting such a large battle—attempting to fight with me. The idea, like it had so long ago when I wanted to fight with her in a gym battle, struck me as horrific, but only for a second.

"She says she doesn't want things to change… she loves the ways things are right now."

"But things will change if we don't stop Team Plasma." Hyuu insisted, unsure as if to look at Kukui or N. It didn't sound right hearing a pokemon's voice through a man who once liberated them.

"Kyouhei…" N cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "My poor babe… don't do this to seem brave. You're pokemon doesn't want to see you fight this battle and… and people care far too much about you to let anything happen."

"Your poor babe?" Hyuu snarled.

"Can you disagree?" N asked him carefully. "You want to see your lover go into a battle he will lose? Take that chance?"

Hyuu was silent, contemplating this. As much as I hated to admit it, N was right and… If it were the other way around, well I wasn't sure I could bear watching Hyuu go into a battle that he would lose. I couldn't help but think—were we strong enough? Would we be ok? If Rosa had sounded so desperate then what had happened to her? And since she was stronger than Hyuu and I both…

I swallowed hard, rubbing the back of my neck slightly as N looked around, worry lining his eyes. "Please…" he begged at least. "Go home Kyouhei… Hyuu… you should go home too."

Hyuu clenched his jaw. "We need to talk to Rosa…"

N's eyes bore down at us again. "No."

"We have to."


	60. Chapter 60

~Touya~

"N!" I ripped my jacket from the hook behind my cabin door and floundered outside, in the broad afternoon sunshine with Cheren at my heels. "What do you mean you can't convince him!?"

"He wants to fight… Or at least Hyuu does and Kyouhei cares about him a lot… They aren't like they used to b—

"I know that!" I cut my lover off with a sharp hiss and started bustling down the wooden docks to where I could find my brother and the far-too-brave-for-no-reason best friend that had done something unforgiveable—given my brother strength.

I would be lying to myself if I wished that Hyuu hadn't come along though, and I knew that Kyouhei… no matter how much I wished I could be the big brother he needed, I knew that it wasn't me he needed anymore. It was Hyuu. He needed someone that could drive him so unbelievably MAD that he hadn't the choice but to fall for him.

A bad taste lingered in my mouth.

"I miss you." N sulked through the phone line. "Touya…. Blackie I miss you."

Pain and sadness swirled in my ribcage at his husky voice, lulling me and longing because he knew that I wanted to kiss him and I knew he wanted to kiss me. I knew that this was hurting him… this separation. But it was for his own good...

"I miss you too N… I—I just… have to worry about my brother."

"I know."

"I'm going to talk to him now and…. Maybe I can see you tonight?"

From my side came the shallow feeling of pain, and I knew that Cheren was watching me as I spoke softly but hurriedly. He was hurting… I was hurting him and I knew it now more than ever, but I couldn't quite dwell. I had always loved N and that wasn't changing…

"I love you—please let me know." He returned to the dial tone after being unable to bear the separation any longer, and I hung up my phone swiftly and stuffed it in my pocket.

"You're going to be with him tonight? But… Shouldn't we try and fight back?" Cheren suggested. "If we can convince Kyouhei and Hyuu to stay out of it then we shouldn't waste any more time…"

Cheren was right… he was utterly and completely right. Team Plasma wouldn't expect an attack so soon after losing one of our most valuable allies… and with the horror of death still lingering in our hearts we couldn't afford to sit around. We would just end up suffering within ourselves.

I was miserable over losing Tate, of course I was, but I couldn't let this stop all that we were trying to do. I had to be strong—whether it be for myself, for N, for Cheren, my brother, and even Touko… who needed more than reassurance at this point. She needed space to grieve. She needed time to get over the love of her life and despite how awful it is to lose her as well as the ex-shadow member… I knew I couldn't push her. She had no more reason to want to fight anyways… she had no one to fight for.

Choked with grief I swallowed, forcing a lump back down my throat as I approached the land and sought my way about through the sand. Keeping my eyes low and wishing that this was all just over with already I noticed something though, something that stopped my panic in its tracks.

Pawprints?

Giant pawprints that could be from none other than Rosa's Arcanine—what had she been doing so close to the water after what happened? I didn't expect her to be well enough to move on after what happened… but it seemed she had been hear and with a pokemon out—which meant she was on the defense.

"What do you think Rosa was doing?" I murmured to Cheren, trying to dislodge the feeling sinking in my stomach—that girl couldn't possibly be trying to go alone could she? Where would she go anyways?

If Rosa was so determined to talk to my brother and Hyuu she wouldn't be messing around on the beach… and yet N made it sound so dire and desperate I didn't have time to even stop and think.

"Maybe she was just taking a walk." Cheren suggested softly, his glasses glinting in the sun. "To clear her head."

"Maybe…" I agreed all too quickly, hoping that was all it could be while reality tried to convince me otherwise. Why would Rosa want to clear her head with a distance Team Plasma battle ship lying on the ocean ready to pounce at any given moment?

Irritated, exhausted, and feeling quite empty I pushed the glass doors of a sea-side café open, flinched at the bell that sounded, and looking around reflexively for my little brother.

"Touya…" Kyouhei's voice came almost as quickly as I expected it to—N told me that they had gone in after their argument about not talking to Rosa.

"Kyou." I sighed, somehow feeling relieved that if anything was right it was the fact that every tiny freckle was intact on his face, and that he looked as though he had gotten more than enough sleep, and no Team Plasma members had killed anyone.

Rosa hadn't gotten to him yet… thank Arceus.

"Touya wha—what?" He stood in surprise, pushing his chair away from the small bar and away from Hyuu who smiled sadly.

I wasn't sure what compelled me at that moment… but suddenly he was there being crushed under my arms, and I was wishing that nothing could ever put him in danger. However, his face had looked different than I remembered—it looked happier though he wore a confused expression, and I knew that something had shaken the hate out of him and replaced it with… indulgence. I couldn't even remember the last time I saw my little brother, though I knew it wasn't that long ago, and yet I knew that he had changed.

Kyouhei had a new light in his eyes that reminded me of the way Cheren looked when he became gym leader—not exactly thrilled or delighted, but rather a quite approval and determination.

N wasn't lying when he said that Kyouhei wanted to fight in this battle… he looked like he had grown to it. And so quickly too…

I hugged him, not caring who was watching in this small café, or the fact that Hyuu looked rather upset by my appearance, or… or that Tate was dead and Rosa was out of her mind and Touko was suffering and I hadn't seen N in at least a week… all that mattered was that this boy—the baby brother I loved so much- was ok.

"Touya what are… you—

I gripped his shoulders then and pushed him back to look at me. "Don't fight in this…"

He was silent, his milky brown eyes looking down in a sort of intelligent shame I had never seen before, and he shook his head ever so slightly. "Rosa sounded like she needed our help."

"Rosa DOES need our help." Hyuu chimed in, and I tried not to scowl at him. I really did like Hyuu, but it was hard to approve when he was acting like he didn't care about Kyouhei's safety. I knew Hyuu better than that… I knew he didn't want Kyouhei to get hurt, but he was almost too nice in a sense.

"Rosa got herself into problems but it's not your business to fix them. We can handle it." Cheren murmured the words I wished I could say so calmly.

"And what about you?" Kyouhei frowned at me. "What if I'm worried about you?"

"No." I shook my head, trying not to laugh in misery. This could NOT be the little selfish brother I grew up with.

"You could get hurt."

"I've done this before."

"You could get hurt…" Cheren repeated his words in a whispered so softly on the back of my neck only I heard it. I shivered.

"Any of us could get hurt. We know that." Hyuu allowed, his eyes darting about as people in the café started to listen to our conversation. It was no surprise to the community here what was going on, and this morning Cheren had been reading in the local paper that many natives where flooding south to try and escape Team Plasma. Humilau was only left with a few stubborn or ill-informed families that refused to believe there was any danger on their horizon—which was ridiculous because it was literally sitting here ON their horizon.

"You don't have to fight this battle—it's not your battle to fight!" I insisted. "Please Kyouhei…"

He looked away, maybe proving it to me that he really didn't want to fight this battle, but was trying to be brave anyways.

"We can work with you." Hyuu said. "What can we do?"

I looked up, meeting his gaze and taking a low breath. "You don't know what happened yesterday do you?"

"Rosa was going to tell us…"

"Tate was killed." I choked, and silence fell about the café. Suddenly now I knew I wasn't just talking to the younger boys before me, but to everyone that was within ears reach. I lowered my voice.

"He was killed because Rosa was being careless." I didn't want to make it sound like Rosa's fault but… it WAS. "She was being careless because she's inexperienced. You guys are inexperienced too."

I looked to Hyuu's face first, since this was his best friend I was talking about, and sure enough there was hell to pay in his eyes. I could see emotions swelling and tears wanted to leak out—but he held it back, maybe to be strong and try and prove himself less careless.

"H—how?" He bit his lip.

"She wasn't watching her pokemon and Serperior mistook Tate for another Triad member... and he killed him. Just like that."

Hyuu's eyes trembled with intensity as he imagined his best friend—a girl that I was sure he looked up to because of her strength previously—with blood soaked hands. Tate's death… despite it all was her fault and she knew that—I knew that and Cheren knew that and Touko knew that.

Kyouhei knew it too, because he looked at Hyuu with a disapproving gaze that said I was right, and that maybe helping Rosa was the wrong thing to do.

"Team Plasma called off their battle after that, and we fled because it was impossible to go on… but… Who knows if we would have won anyways. There was no guarantee Tate would have survived—there was no guarantee any of us would have survived!"

"There's no guarantee now either." Kyouhei commented.

"Yes there is." I looked him in the eyes, my hands trembling. "If you don't fight then you won't die."

He nodded rather coldly, though I knew this was not a submission, and his hand went to his pokeball instinctively where Kukuii was—as if he could feel her radiating battle cries.

"If you're going to fight there's got to be something we can do."

Damn him and his sudden heroics. Why could he just be selfish like he used to be?

Hyuu swallowed and agreed. "I can help Rosa…"

No… No this isn't what I wanted!

Cheren's comforting hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed tightly. "We can watch them if they are with us at least…"

I shook my head. No.

"Touya…"

"Touya…"

"Touya."

"Ok!" I grit my teeth, begging to Arcues and the world to let them be safe. Howver much though… my heart twisted with fear and I knew—somehow instinct told me—that this was not the end of the pain we would face…

Bad things were going to happen. I could feel it.


	61. Chapter 61

~Rosa~

Was I done? Was this the end of it? Had my hear been shattered and broken?

No. After two days of sitting by the beach and believing with all my heart that this was the right thing to do… I realized that I was no quitter. I was a torpedo ready to be launched through the water into a nightmare that was Team Plasma's ship. I wanted to avenge them. For me, for Touya and Cheren, and especially for Tate. I wanted to make up for my stupid mistake that got him killed and the only way I could think of to do that was… to never give up.

Serperior, Arcanine, and my other pokemon silently came to agreement. After everthing that had happened we were still going to make it. We would work with Touya and Cheren and even Kyouhei and my dearest childhood friend Hyuu, to stop this madness.

However on the third day, after we finally came to the conclusion to launch another attack, Team Plasma disappeared from the coast line, and the five of us were left dumbfounded wondering where in the hell they could have gone.

Not to mention that places were freezing over again in this late summer heat. Homes were being trapped my ice, foliage was dying, wild pokemon were fleeing their territories for better grounds… and yet Team Plasma couldn't be found anywhere by air or sea.

"What do we do?" I asked Hyuu as he stared across the deep blue expanse, focusing on what was a small iceberg in the distance. Pokemon more equipped to these conditions had started taking over now, and I could see a herd of Sealeo bobbing their heads in the water with Spheal barking happily about the frozen shore.

"Well Cheren got a call from the gym leader here." Touya spoke up from where he sat a foot away, Kyouhei at his side as if their childhood had somehow never been hindered by two years of separation. Side by side you could see the similarities in each other. Tanned skin—the kind that only came from islands—and thick chestnut hair. Touya's dark chocolate eyes had a tiny hint of red in them, and Kyouhei's were a soft milky almond color, but other than that they were very similar. Kyouhei's shoulders were a little smaller.

"He went to talk to him because he might give us a direction to search." He mused. "What's his name? Marlon?"

"That's right." Kyouhei murmured, and I saw Hyuu flinch at the name. What did they have to do with the gym leader? He seemed like a nice guy when I went to challenge him—though no battle ever took place because of the threat of Team Plasma on hand.

"He should be back soon." Touya added. "I hope we get something… Anything."

That was a lie, I thought with a huff. It was plain as day on Touya's face that some part of him—even if it was tiny—wanted everything to just stop right here and right now. He wanted to forget this battle now that his brother was in on it, and now that him and N had this sort of strange… separation.

Personally I couldn't care less about N helping this battle or leaving us to fight it alone. Team Plasma didn't want him—they may have a grudge against him, but their goal was something far bigger. Their goal was the world, no matter how you dice it that's all they wanted and no amount of former King would stop that.

Touya however… looked like something else had happened between him and the former King. He looked like he had given up on his lover's protection; in trade for his brothers which I recently found out was a failed attempt to begin with. N was supposed to protect Kyouhei and he failed, though I didn't know how or why it was even a thought, I knew that Touya would hold it against N.

Sad because from what I heard N truly liked Kyouhei, and he wanted to protect him as well. But… no amount of wanting could stop a teenage boys stubborn mind.

A sort of deep envy grew inside of me for Kyouhei now that I realized what he was all about. Stubborn and hot headed as he was I couldn't help but admire his heart. He had come so far from the sheltered and angry island boy that once lived so far away. No one could have imagined what he and Hyuu could have become together, but it was obvious now that they needed each other. They were inseparable despite how they drove each other crazy. Hell even their pokemon seemed to be perfect for each other.

Kukui and Alec sat together, their tails wrapped around one another and their small but strong hands linked. From every freckle on the wortortle's face, to the handsome way the Dewott held his shoulders back, they looked like they were meant for each other. Water type and water type, so young and yet so noble…

Or maybe this was just me and the moment getting ahead of myself? After all, love still didn't sense in my head. I couldn't explain why Kukui loved Alec, or why Hyuu loved Kyouhei, or why Touya was so hurt over N and his carelessness. I just didn't get it. Nothing of it made sense… but that didn't mean I didn't like the way it looked.

Pokemon, people, the world itself all seemed to fall into place at times like this—when disaster was heavy in our horizon. And through the storm I knew that we would make it, no matter how badly I had fallen before.

Taking a deep breath I rubbed my hand over Arcanine's large head, leaning against his shoulder and letting Serperior coil next to me, his head in my lap. This was the only love I would ever fully understand—that of human to pokemon. Partner to partner.

"Touya!" A faint distant call sounded, making Kyouhei and Hyuu look up. Touya was on his feet in a moment, leaving the small picture he had been drawing in the sand with a twig for another time. He ran over at the voice of Cheren, his face literally changing from misery to relief—and then misery again when Cheren was close enough for us to see the worry in his face.

Slowly we all stood, facing the normal type gym leader as he wiped his brow and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"We figured it out." Cheren said. "I spent two hours calling the other gym leaders… then I got a hold of Iris—the champion- who told me all she knew and… and I figured it out."

"Well what do we do?" I said. "Spit it out!"

"The Giant Chasm." He swallowed. "They are using Kyurem to freeze Unova… and… it's all happening from the Giant Chasm."

…

~Touya~

"The Giant Chasm." I murmured over the phone as Kyouhei lay next to me on the hotel room bed. His eyes were starting to close slightly as Hyuu played luxuriously with the ends of his hair. Cheren was on my other side, reading a book barrowed from the local library about the history of the Giant Chasm. He wanted to know as much about the dragon Kyurem as he could, but I could see by the look on his face that he wasn't happy or making progress. Rosa sat on the floor by our feet rubbing Serperior's head anxiously and watching the clock on the desk.

N was silent as ever tonight as I talked to him, trying to rekindle any little bit of emotion from the former Team Plasma king as I could.

"We're going their tomorrow." I said, my throat tight and choked. "All of us. Kyouhei too…"

N knew he had failed me. He knew that I was upset for having to bring my brother along, but never once did he bring up the fact. And to be quite honest with myself I was completely hurt by the fact that he hadn't yet offered to fight with us. Even though it was terrible dangerous… I thought that after Tate died and he failed to keep Kyouhei out of it, he would at least OFFER. He had Reshiram after all… he had a way to help us. It may not be much help considering that Kyurem was a "ruthless ice demon" (according the Cheren's research on it), but it would be something.

"You be safe." N whispered so quietly I wasn't sure he really said it or not.

But how could I be safe? I was taking my best friend and my little brother into a blind battle… even if I was safe in the end I knew that I couldn't protect them. They had to protect themselves… They… They were suddenly so much more important to me than anything else. My little brother especially.

It hurt me to know that the only reason I wanted N to join this battle was because I wanted his support and his protection over everyone else. Had you asked me a few weeks ago I would have said I would NEVER let N fight this battle because I didn't want to take a chance at losing him, and now… now all I wanted was his strength to protect the others I loved.

I was so torn in half because of this… because I had a lack of hope so suddenly. Why did he make me feel this way now? Had I done anything truly wrong? N and I never argued until just recently, and we never hurt one another on purpose. Up until recently we had been the most important things in each other's lives… and now… now there was a growing distance between us.

I felt like I was making a choice between the love of my life—N—and the little brother, best friend, and responsibility I had for years now. My heart ached as the silence ebbed on over the line, and I wished I could just hang up, go to sleep, and wake up to find that this was all just a horrific dream.

"I'll try." I said to N, as a sudden wave of emotions swept over me. Why? Why did this feel like the end?

"N." I wiped my eyes before moisture could truly gather, and I had to hide my face because the eyes in the room where suddenly turned on me. Kyouhei shifted in worry, now wide awake and Hyuu hovering with a sad expression. Rose turned her curious brown eyes towards me and Cheren put down his book in order to put a hand on my shoulder.

"I love you." I squeezed my eyes shut.

"I love you too Blackie…" N murmured, but it didn't sound convincing. For the first time in a long time I felt rejection hover like a wave on my horizon. Why didn't he sound sincere? Why didn't he sound like he meant it?

"I'll always love you." I added, and then realized that this was pointless of me and that I had to be strong now when I wanted to be weak.

I hung up the phone with a start and let it fall in my lap, N's troubled voice ringing in my ears. Maybe I was imagining it? Maybe I was just too far gone? Too stressed out to feel his affection?

Cheren butted my shoulder with his forehead gently, and Kyouhei leaned against my other side, silently assuring me in a way that I used to do to him when he was younger. Why? Why could I feel this then?

I could feel my brother's new found bravery lining his touch, and I could feel Cheren's heart beating for me like it always had. Why?

Why did things feel wrong with N and right with everyone else?


	62. Chapter 62

~Rosa~

The giant chasm…

Frozen pine needles lines the ground, and icicles hung from the branches as I walked, ignoring the crunch under my feet and the way it felt to have nothing living around me. Arcanine and my other pokemon were safely in their pokeballs where they couldn't deny me of my actions—I decided I had to do this and even they wouldn't be enough to stop me.

Kyouhei, Hyuu, and Touya were sleeping soundly on this quite night while I was out, mucking my way through the frozen forest with my breath melting the icy needling wind slapping me in the face. Team Plasma had done a number on this poor terrain, and in only a few days progress it seemed. Where they even still around here? Where they expecting us to follow them and left already? I felt insecure with ideas rolling around my head, but I knew that I had to keep going.

No one was going to get hurt because of me again. Even if this meant going behind their backs and trying to find Plasma alone. Even if this meant quite possibly getting myself killed in the process—I wouldn't be the cause of another death. I wouldn't let someone as innocent as Tate die because of me.

I checked the time again after seeing that the moon had started to descend from its climb into the sky. It must be well after one in the morning now—maybe it was even getting close to three or four. I had been walking for so long I wouldn't be surprised.

Just when I thought that this was pointless, and that team Plasma must have left before we had the chance to find them, I came across a sure fire sign of life here. I crouched, surprised with the color in the snow, and how vibrant it was despite the lack of light right now. Gently I reached down, blinking and letting mu numb fingers slip through the layer of hard ice to the snow below—where a puddle of blood had seeped through the cracks and soiled the dead grass under it all. I shivered, my breath caught and my heart thumping. Team Plasma had to be here… because there was—not life I realized—but death in their tracks. I looked around fearlessly, wondering what had been the victim to their cruelty and finding that a few feet ahead of me was a large Liepard with an arrow sticking out of its spine. Its jaws were mangled and cracked open in a silent wail of despair, and its fur matted with the dark brown, frozen blood. There was a small layer of powdery snow on it, hiding what I knew was more destruction to come.

This was sick.

Sick and twisted and exactly what I needed to see in order to fuel the fire in my heart. Angry now I pushed on, wiping my cold hands on my jack and stomping through the path that the Liepard had been left on.

Trees around here started to look like they had been snapped, and I found that at a closer examination there was footprints in the snow. Human and pokemon ones alike—that meant there were grunts and their partners causing problems.

I kept going, thinking about what I had done to Tate and how badly he had wanted Team Plasma to suffer for everything they had done. He wouldn't want me to do this right now—go alone through the forest at night looking for them—but I knew that he must respect me at least a little by this decision. I wasn't causing anyone else trouble by this. I was just trying to get a head start on what they planned to do tomorrow anyways.

Wind curled through my chest like a vicious wave, taking my little bit of body heat and pushing it further from me as I walked, squinting now across what appeared to be a large open field, only to find that it inhabited by… something.  
I grimaced, then breathed a sigh of relief, and then felt absolute misery growing in my chest. My whole heart erupted in my chest as I saw the ship that Team Plasma had been sitting on the horizon with for so long. It crouched in this empty meadow of snow and ice, tentacle like object seeping out of it and glowing faintly when the moon hit it between the cover of clouds. It was smaller than I remember though, and that gave me hope that I could make it through ok.

I swallowed, standing in the obvious entry way to the meadow and their secret hideout, and reached for the balls on my belt. I could afford to release everyone now—because my pokemon wouldn't get anyone I cared about mixed up with Team Plasma members.

One by one I let out the six pokemon that had become so near and dear to me over the last few months. Some more important than others, and some a little less trained, and others more powerful… I let them all watch me in silence, their eyes curious and eager because… because that's what pokemon where there to do.

"Ok guys…" I whispered. "This is it. This is what we have to do."

I hoisted myself onto Arcanine's back with ease. "We're going in."

….

~Hyuu~  
A soft thud to my side woke me up too early in the morning.

"Mnn." I moaned softly. "Kyou… stop."

There was another soft thud at my side, and instinctively I buried my face in the closest thing to me—Kyouhei's back. I didn't realized that under these circumstances it wasn't him that was kicking me, but I held tight trying to bring back the only bit of sleep I could get in this short amount of time.

"Get off, Hyuu." Kyouhei's tired voice came and I felt a real kick this time. A sharp blow to my shin because judging by the way Kyouhei felt he was hot and didn't want to be any more smothered in this bed of people.

Cheren and Touya could have gone back to their cabin through the night, but it hadn't felt right to be away from each other after what we decided on doing. So we all buckled down in the single king size bed and tried to sleep with each other's body heat around us. I liked it, and Cheren didn't move a muscle from where he was behind me, so I gathered it was just the island boys who preferred to be cool when they slept. Even so, Kyouhei didn't have to kick me in the shin.

"Oww." I complained, unable to move over without crushing Cheren's face under my back.

A noise came then, soft and weary but certainly not belonging to any human in the room.

"Shuddap Hyuu." Kyouhei barked, but he was the one being loudest.

"It wasn't me!" I hissed, finally raising my head from the bed and looking up to see faint light pouring in through the cracks in the blinds. It had to be about sunrise, which meant we only got a couple hours of sleep if that. Not that I expected anything more… it was just hard to choke down the thought of out battle today.

"Dew—WOT!"

Touya, the heaviest sleeper of the four of us, jolted awake at the noise, with a gasp and naturally, reaching to Cheren for protection. I was surprised by the action, thinking that Touya was nothing like his brother when it came to romance (if you could call him and Cheren romantic now). Kyouhei wanted nothing to do with me when he was grumpy, and here was his brother cuddling at the thought of danger.

It was just Alec though.

"What?" I met eyes with my partner, yawning and rubbing my face as Kyouhei turned, moving to sit up and falling halfway to the floor in the same action. I barely had time to reach out and grab him around the waist before he landed on his face.

"Dewaa!" He pointed his nubby little paws towards the reclining chair where Rosa was supposed to be sleeping, and I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Where did she go!?" I asked in shock. We had agreed that we stay together in the last hours before our raid on Team Plasma!

"Warr…" Kukui made a noise from the floor, trying to explain what none of us knew. She crawled up carefully on the corner of the bed and reached for Kyouhei, who picked her up and set her in his lap now that he was steady.

"Call her." Cheren looked up from his spot in the bed—he was still lying without his glasses on, so I knew he was afraid to get up and not be able to see. Not to mention Touya was hovering over him in his surprise.

"Ok." I agreed, hoping that maybe she had only just stepped out for some fresh air—maybe she couldn't sleep?

My phone was perched on the nightstand on the other side of Kyouhei, and I managed to land a small kiss on his shoulder before leaning over and grabbing it. He may or may not have shrugged it off, but I wouldn't be surprised. He wasn't much of a morning person let alone happy with the way we were all woken up.

I dialed swiftly in the silence of the dark room, feeling the eyes turned on me until a sudden sharp song started, and Rosa's familiar ringtone made me grimace. Not only was her leaving her phone inappropriate, but so was my ringtone being "Milkshake". I hung up with a snort.

"Maybe she just stepped out."

"And maybe she decided she didn't want to do this." Cheren allowed.

"Or maybe she went alone…" Touya shook his head. "That girl!"

Kyouhei blew out a noisy breath, burying his face in Kukui's furry ears. "What does it matter?"

Of course it mattered though… Rosa was my childhood best friend. She was worth more than that and I knew that… Touya was probably right. Besides her belt with pokeballs on it was gone as well as her back. Only her phone remained sitting on the desk across the room.

"She did this on purpose." I muttered. "But… she can't go alone."

I could tell everyone else was irritated with this, and as much as I didn't want to do this to begin with—to put Kyouhei in danger I knew I couldn't stop Rosa. She was irrational and stubborn and I knew she thought she was doing the right thing—whatever she WAS doing that is.

"Well we know where she went." Cheren, the most ration of us all, finally moved to sit up. "The Giant Chasm… and that's where we were going anyways. We might as well just continue with what we planned."

"Without her?" I frowned.

"She can take care of herself." Kyouhei said, putting Kukui down and slipping out of the bed all together. His hair was in the most wild of birds' nests, and resembled his brothers almost too closely. Touya slipped out after him, and if they didn't have a three inch height difference I would have believed they were twins.

I looked at Cheren awkwardly, and he let out a low sigh.

"It's going to be a long day…"


	63. Chapter 63

~N~

I couldn't take it anymore.

I loved him too much to put my own selfish desires at the top of my priorities list. I had to do something rather than just sit back and watch my lover, my dearest Blackie, go into a battle that should have never been his to begin with.

Two-no—almost three years ago now, Team Plasma had attacked and dismantled Unova, using me as their master puppet to portray a sense of goodness to the people. It was all a fake, from the moment they started planning their triumph when I was just a meager child. When Ghetsis devoured my innocence with abused pokemon and made me believe that all was wrong in the world—but that I could somehow make it right.

It was wrong and it was my fault for being so blind, and I couldn't sit around waiting any longer. Team Plasma may only want to kill me now, and they very well may do that, however this wasn't about life and death or revenge… it was about protecting someone that needed me.

Touya would never truly know how much I loved him if I never did this for him, since… from what I knew love was all about be willing to do anything for that significant other.

"Reshiram…" I said, patting my faithful companion on the chest, as she loomed over me, her amber eyes blazing with the memory of battle. She knew it all very well—the way it felt during the final battle against Touya, and when I knew that letting him win and fleeing was my only option. Reshiram had been there through my worst days, and judging by the way she looked now she knew that they weren't exactly over.

"It's been a long time…" I said softly, stroking the hot and pure white fur.

_Battle…_

"Yes…" I whispered, feeling a child shiver creep up my spine. "We're going to the Giant Chasm…"

…..

~Rosa~

Machinery clanked and roared all around me as I hurdled my way through the ship that doubled as an aircraft and an ocean liner, having caused so much destruction lately in this poor region, Unova. The suffering, the pain, the loss… it was all too great to bear at this point, and I knew that I would give my last breath to stop them. For Tate, for justice, for my friends and myself… this was the path I knew I had to take.

Arcanine's paw's were bloodstained from the hard metal floors, and there was a terrible gash leaking across the front of his forehead, where a pokemon had attacked us from above and startled my pokemon. He was huffing and puffing and didn't look like he could go a whole lot further with all the stopping we had to make in order to fight off the grunts that were trying to preserve their precious destruction.

It must have been an hour of constant battling already, and my ears were shot from the alarms and that had disoriented my pokemon so much that they all managed to lose their way in the dark metal hallways, or accidentally on the teleportation devices under foot. My Serperior had lost his way in a battle where I couldn't get Arcanine to stop running from a nasty Hydreigon, and I wasn't sure if he made it out ok or not—but I couldn't stop to think about that yet.

My pokemon were strong… My Serperior one of the strongest; he had to be ok.

My Mandabuzz, however, was not so lucky in this long race of battling, and I watched with a heavy heart as she was taken down by some foreign pokemon with large wings and an extremely heavy fire blast. I watched that pokemon in misery, trying to fight off her attacker with Arcanine… but he wouldn't get close enough for me to get hurt, which meant we weren't close enough to help. The huge red beast pokemon had let out its fullest potential on my pokemon—one of my partners—and the last thing I saw of it was the glistening of flesh and the descend of feathers through the smoke coming out of a pipe we had knocked loose.

I couldn't stop to truly take in this fact either…

One of my six… dead. Just like Tate my pokemon experienced an unexpected and tragic end and it was all my fault.

I wasn't sure what I was even doing, despite my bravery and wanting—dreaming about making things safe again. All I knew was that, no amount of desire could make this all better now, and even if I did accomplish what I wanted to, I knew that I would never—nor could I ever be the same.

I had lost too many things I loved and cared about.

"COME ON ARCANINE!" I shouted, my voice hoarse from all the yelling that I had been doing, and my stomach churning as he approached a railing towards one of the most upper levels of this ship—where I could see straight down to the bottom where I entered to begin with—and leapt.

"CAREFUL!" I begged as his front paws planted themselves on the rail, then only to be replaced by his back paws as he tried to launch himself across a narrow gap in the walkways to the other side, where a suspicious door was tagged with a golden mailslot and a nameplate.

That had to be the room of someone important—maybe even Ghetsis himself.

The air tightened as Arcanine pushed off the railing, me on his back and gripping his sides with my feet so tightly I was sure my legs were going to catch on fire from all the burning. We were in the clear—I could see it—I could feel it.

And then we were falling, a gunshot or hand grenade or… or something knocking us in mid stride and sending Arcanine slipping from the railing and between the two walkways. He yelped in agony, blood spouting and spattering the side of the stairwell beside us, and me… screaming because Arcanine's jaw cracked against a metal post so hard I felt sick at the sound.

Alarms were swearing at us to get out, weapons and pokemon were attacking us from all levels of the ship, Mandabuzz was dead, Ghetsis was nowhere in sight, and now Arcanine…

"ARCANINE!" I clung tight to the limp, falling form of my pokemon, narrowly avoiding every railing on the way down, as cruel gravity took us.

Took us back down to earth—to reality.

…..

"Hhnnn…" the sound of my voice came only after a horrific blistering pain in the back of my skull.

"Hush now." A familiar, deadly voice crooned at me.

My head swam. Where was I? What happened?

"You're Arcanine…"

"W—what about him?" I couldn't open my eyes—or maybe I was opening my eyes and they were just so fogged over I couldn't see anything. The blackness in my head was circling like a furious tornado, making everything look like it was moving in fast motion—when in reality nothing was moving at all. It was pitch black behind my eyes, I couldn't see anything and yet I could tell my equilibrium was completely off.

Something happened…

My first instinct was to reach out for the desk or the chair or the hotel room floor and get my bearings. My hands couldn't find anything that wasn't cold or metallic though—that is, if I was actually moving my hands at all. Was I paralyzed? Movement felt like a figment of my imagination.

"Hyuu?" I choked out, my whole back throbbing now, and my feet tingling.

"Try again." The creepy voice spoke back to me. "Think real hard my lovely…"

"N—No." that voice didn't sound very friendly—and this all had to be a dream anyways. I wanted to wake up.

"Arcanine isn't well…"

"Y—Yes." I croaked, fighting the spinning in my head. "Mnn…"

I grunted, unable to stop myself from being taken under again.

Suddenly there was nothing but the hollow sound of a man's voice so cold and familiar in my head…

….

~Touya~

"Cheren and I will check west of here ok?" I suggested, looking at a detailed map of the giant chasm and the area surrounding it. There were many trees, and the thick underbrush should have existed like on the map too, but it didn't… not now. At the base of the pathway to the chasm there was a massive snowmelt, and mud and dirt and all sorts of debris hanging around what used to be a grassy meadow.

I had only been to the giant chasm once on my journey a few years ago, and I recalled with great upset that it was here I spent some time trying to find a few of the sages when my heartache for losing N had been strongest. I went through days of depression where I didn't have the strength to even flip a light switch or eat, and I went through days when anger so strong gripped at my heart I thought I would never overcome it. There were times when I wanted to break things and times when I wanted to hurt people like I had been hurt…

All in all they were bad times and I didn't like to think back to them—they were so long ago anyways. It was just a little hard being surrounded by devastation in the area that your heart had once been so devastated.

Kyouhei, Hyuu, and Cheren all stood beside me though, and Touko was a phone call away, having told us this morning that despite how much she was hurting… she didn't want Plasma to get away with this, and that if we really needed her help she would be there with it. I thanked her, hoping that it wouldn't come to a battle between Zekrom and anyone else this time, but agreeing. If we needed her… we would call.

"Hyuu and Kyouhei, you guys take the northern territory ok?" Cheren added, pointing with his lean finger towards a path that looked barren in the map and unsuitable for anyone to make stay in. I had suggested sending them up there earlier because I felt that it would be less dangerous, and I knew that they wouldn't put the pieces together because it WAS climbing up cliff edges and such—they would see it as a challenge.

Kukui stood beside my little brother now, her wide cat-like eyes peering up at me and her freckles looking like flecks of snow in comparison to the green map before us. She looked weary, almost as if she knew that I was trying to keep my little brother safe, but there was no doubt in my mind she was agreeing with me. Alec at her side was a little less observational, and had eyes only for her despite his loyalty to his trainer.

Even if I was sending these two to the safer area of the chasm, I was still worried… could Kukui and Alec handle the danger? I knew my brother had two more loyal pokemon with him, but Hyuu was helpless in a bad situation.

I bent down on my knee to the pokemon's level and took a deep breath.

"You're going to protect them right?" I said.

"Oh please, Touya." Kyouhei scoffed, though I could hear the faintest trace of insecurity in his voice.

"We'll take care of each other…" Hyuu said. "I just hope Rosa is ok."

"I'm sure she's fine." Cheren mumbled. "Let's go… we need to get this over with."

Cheren was only impatient because he was nervous… I knew him well enough to see that. I stood back up giving my best friend a nudge in the side and nodding. "We'll take care of each other."

He nodded back, poking the glasses up higher on his nose.

"Right." Kyouhei turned, the first to step away from the safety of our group. Kukui followed faithfully, and Alec was a magnet at her side.

"Call you if anything happens!" Hyuu said, racing off after my brother.

"Be safe!"


	64. Chapter 64

~Kyouhei~

"Do you think we are going in the right direction?" I murmured, icicles crackling under my foot as Hyuu held tight to my hand, as if we were lovers and lovers that had always been that way. It was hard for me to remember, at times like this, how Hyuu and I used to fight (thought it was usually my ignorance and stubborn nature that caused it). I felt as though the two of us, alone despite the two young pokemon walking together a couple yards ahead of us, had grown into a pair or mixture of two completely different things, lame and lousy when separated and substantial while together.

It took me a hell of a long time to realize my own feelings towards this boy at my side now, but when I stopped to think about the way it was before and how unhappy I was and now… now even while looking for a nightmare I could pull my heart back and examine it.

I was happy. Scared and a little grumpy, but happy none the less. My hand naturally squeezed around Hyuu's as I waited for his ruby eyes to stop glancing around, and his answer to come.

"Yeah… actually I do." He murmured, and I could tell he was standing on edge—even more so than I was probably because we had no sense in knowing where Rosa was or if she had run into any trouble.

"Really? All I see is snow." I perched my lips.

"Well… I was just thinking." Hyuu murmured. "I mean it is a Chasm we are looking in, but we haven't actually gone into a chasm. Or a tunnel or cave or anything. I… I think that's where team Plasma would be."

"With an overgrown sail boat?" I disagreed. "They have to be hidden somewhere big enough to fit that ship."

"I… I don't know." He shrugged. "I just think we sho—

He was cut off then by a sudden roar, and the sound of our pokemon jolting around in shock. I caught sight of Kukui slip on a patch of ice in the rush, and a torrent of wind kicked up, as if to unbalance us all.

"GET DOWN!" Hyuu shouted, thrusting into me and pushing me straight to the cold ground. I gasped, trying to shout Kukui's name to make sure she was ok, and then realizing that gun shots were going off around us. Loud—extremely loud—pocks that seemed to rattle the icicles on the pine needles and make the wind howl in agony.

"KYOU!" Hyuu barked in the same fashion Alec did, shocked and horrified and then thinking quickly enough to pull me back up to my wobbly feet. "COME ON! RUN!"

"Warr!" Kukui caught up to my side, followed by the sound of another horrible shot—lucky enough not to miss us. The branch of a nearby tree exploded over head, and it was impossible to tell where it was coming from.

"HURRY!" Hyuu screeched. "There!"

My heart was thumping mercilessly between my rib cage, making my cold body suddenly very hot and flushed with panic. I wasn't sure how people like Hyuu or my older brother could think so quickly in situations like this—because all the sudden I felt brain dead and lifeless, as if my body wasn't being controlled by any sort of myself anymore.

I thought I was going to die—in the back of my head that was all there was, fear and shock and the adrenalin of thinking there was no chance of making it past armed Team Plasma members that would show no pity or compassion.

I guessed it was this mentality that I lacked, that made people like Hyuu and my older brother heroes in the end—something I was never meant to be.

Panting and ears ringing Hyuu and I ran, still hand in hand though he was pulling me very harshly and I thought I was going to lose my footing on the snowy ground. Four, five, six or maybe even seven more gunshots were fired at us (and all missed thankfully) before we found ourselves breaking through the narrow opening into a cave in the base of the mountain. Alec and Kukui followed next, bumping into us as we rounded the corner away from the entrance and pressed our backs to the freezing cave wall.

My heart seemed to be the center of my personal orbit for a moment, and the thudding was so loud in my own head it made me feel dizzy and weak. I thought for a moment I might gag and puke, but really that was my lungs begging for air because I was holding my breath so tightly I had to concentrate before I could intake.

I gasped, quite loudly, gripping Hyuu's hand tighter and tighter until it dawned on me that we could die. We could be die so easily and then… we couldn't be together.

I threw myself into Hyuu's arms, my hands shaking away from his and up to his hair where I gripped him so tightly and forced my mouth onto his—because if this was the last time we could kiss then so be it.

I could feel like heart beating against mine, but his mouth was distracted and afraid in the way it moved for only a moment, before he realized that this was because my hope was fading fast.

He pulled back gently, his eyes softening and his hand grazing my face.

"I won't let them hurt you."

"F—Fuck you, Hy—Hyuu." I was fighting tears. "Wh—what if they hu—hu—hurt you?"

He hugged my tightly or a moment, letting the silence now take over. Kukui's little hand tugged on my pant-leg worriedly, and Alec was pushing up against both of us in a huddle to keep calm.

I never truly understood the meaning of love… but… but now it felt like it meant something inside of me. I was scared yes, I was very scared, but it was the idea of losing someone I loved that make it so unbearable.

Love was willing to give your life up for someone you cared about.

I hugged Hyuu as tightly as I could, hoping he could hear my heart talking to him—because these were words I knew I couldn't say out loud.

The cave was dark and dreary, covered in water and mud from the snowmelt and the fact that the Giant Chasm wasn't really a cold place on its own—it was only Plasma who had turned it into this white waist-land. Everything underground wanted to stay hot and since it wasn't hit by the direct waves of the freeze I assumed it was capable of melting. The ceiling was very high up, and I could see from other directions that there were large holes letting in the early daylight.

It was silent in here, with nothing but the shadows whispering around us and the trickle of water here and there.

"Should we call Touya?" Hyuu suggested softly, gripping my shoulders firmly, trying to be strong when I couldn't. But calling Touya was not the answer. He would come looking for us and then get shot at by whoever was out there.

I was about to open my mouth and tell him no, when a sudden soft thud stopped me, and we froze, circling on each other until we stood shoulder to shoulder. Alec let out a low growl in the back of his throat, his eyes glinting with sudden understanding—something none of us could see yet.

But we heard it, stepping with a limp out of the darkness of the other side of the cave, where the light was least affective on the dark stone walls. My hands began to tremble, reminding me that I was a coward. I wasn't the hero. I wasn't even sure why I was here—why Hyuu and I had to do this.

My heart wanted to make things right but my brain said we should run.

"W—Who's there?" Hyuu demanded, letting his voice bounce off the walls back to us.

Alec and Kukui squared off before us, prepared to fight for our lives with their own—and their fingers touched as they did so. Pokemon and trainers in love… so alike and yet so much braver than I felt.

"Take… a guess." A shriveled, old and deadly voice spoke back to us, the sound of three awkward things touching the ground as a large bulky figure stopped before a patch of sunlight pouring in from the walls.

Breath caught in my throat I stared, wide eyed as a small red light flickered to a bright, luminescent red orb. Like a laser pointer it shot through the darkness at us, casting a glow across a wrinkled, grey, and disfigured face that had been in every newspaper across the region timelessly.

"Ghe…Ghetsis." I huffed.

My heart nearly stopped in my chest as the ground rumbled.

"And… a…_friend._" He hissed, illuminating the eyes of another creature, something bigger, stronger, and sending a wave of blistering cold at us.

"No…" Hyuu whispered.

"Meet… Kyurem." Ghetsis purred.


	65. Chapter 65 (FINALE)

~Hyuu~

My heart was in my throat as we faced off against Ghetsis, who stood now out of the shadow, his cloak dragging on the stone floor and his leather hands gripping the top of a cane that had in it a large stone—some stone used to control a legendary monster I was sure. Maybe even Kyurem.

"Kyouhei…" I whispered, my knees shaking as the creature—the shell that fell from outer space millions of years ago—lifted its huge head and let out a cold breath of air. It groaned a blistering cold and furious groan that both hurt my ears and made my stomach twist. Like nails on a chalkboard it whined, as if it was in pain of some sort.

"Hy—Hyuu." Kyouhei whispered back to me, his hands gripping the back of my shoulders and his nails digging in.

I hated this. I hated being too weak to do anything to protect the ones I loved. Alec just wasn't strong enough to fight a pokemon like that, and I wasn't sure when in the hell I thought that we could actually do this. I felt miserable and sick and scared and all I wanted to do was go home. Forget this adventure, forget team Plasma, forget everything… just… wake up from this nightmare.

"I—I love you." I whispered to Kyouhei as Ghetsis stepped towards us, slowly but surely followed by the pokemon—no—the monster so cold I could feel ice particles in the dry air.

Kyouhei pushed his face into my shoulder, hiding it for just a second and then stepped aside, to be facing Ghetsis with me. I knew he wanted to say he loved me back, but I didn't think he could manage to speak with those tears in his eyes.

We had been through so much together. Love and hate and battles and team Plasma, hell we even went through a plane crash together, and somehow it felt as though there was just too much left to see and to feel and to love before it was over between us.

"Young trainers." Ghetsis called to us, approaching. "You were not the ones I was expecting… however, I'm curious…"

We stood silent, holding our breaths as Ghetsis raised his shaky old hand and pointed at us.

"You… Remind me of someone I once met."

Kyouhei froze, his eyes locked on the red laser pointer eyeball that inhabited Ghetsis' old face. He looked sickly in a way, and smiled with a sense of death in his presence. At this point I knew that, despite never seeing Ghetsis in person, two years of failure did a number on him. He was on his last leg—literally since he gripped his cane for support.

His voice got low then, and his deadly inviting face turned suddenly so violent, and that red eye dimmed in comparison to the lifeless grey one that glared.

"Are you related to the one called Black?" He spat the name with such vigor off his dry, cracked tongue.

Kyouhei couldn't speak to answer him, and I couldn't move to call Black or Cheren or someone who might be able to help us. Besides, Ghetsis would probably attack us first. Kyouhei trembled, silent beside his teeth chattering.

"ANSWER ME BOY!" Ghetsis roared, much louder than I thought a man of his age and health could manage. It seems as though his voice was the only thing that hadn't taken a toll from the years of failure. I flinched, gripping Kyouhei's hand as he opened his mouth.

"H—He's my brother." The freckled face boy whispered.

A low moan escaped the elder's throat. "And what is your name?"

"Ky—Kyouhei Black…"

"And your friend?"

"Hyuu." I spoke up, trying to sound strong but failing when my voice cracked.

He seemed to take into deep consideration what he was going to say to us before he turned, his shoulders swiveling and his cane tapping on the stone cave floor. Kyurem behind him let out another unbearable screech as his master looked at him—two soulless creatures silently telling each other secrets through the thin, crisp air.

"Well…" Ghetsis mused. "It's unfortunate for you Kyouhei and Hyuu, but I can't let you stand in the way of anything... My future, my past… my dreams and domination and SUCCESS!"'

There it was again. That cruel voice that had never faltered, even for a second in the journey this man took in destroying so many people's lives. He walked faster now, eager to stand before his monster pokemon and raise his hand to it. The hand trembled, and in return the creature trembled—as if they were two pieces of a furious whole.

Ghetsis turned to face us then, across the large cave and in the shadows where all we could see was a silhouette and a laser eye.

"W—we have to fight him…" my voice caught in my throat, and Alec's ears swiveled back at the words. He and Kukui were together in front of us, their heads held high despite their obvious fear. I didn't want to think about not winning, but I didn't want to think about not trying either. My insides were swiveling.

"We could run…" Kyouhei panted. "I—I can't let Kukui die…"

"Kyouhei they will shoot us outside." I hissed back. "We have to try—maybe if all four of our poke—

"No!" He insisted, trying to hold back tears, and reaching for an empty ball on his belt. "Kukui…"

She glanced over her shoulder at him, her face determined and brave and then her mouth falling open as the pokeball opened and summoned her back in. Alec barked in alarm, whirling around and then looking at me in fear—not the bravery that Kukui proved to show.

I wasn't upset that my pokemon didn't want to give his all to save me, and I didn't think that this look he gave us proved he wouldn't, but I felt hopeless without him there, and was hesitant to pull out my pokeball and return him. Alec shook his head softly at me, knowing that there was no way—he wasn't even in his final evolution.

I called him back with a heavy heart, leaving Kyouhei and I completely unprotected in face of Ghetsis.

"You won't even try to battle me?" the cruel, heartless man across the cave said. "YOU WONT EVEN PUT UP A FIGHT? YOU ARENT LEAVING WITH YOUR LIFE SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL FIGHT FOR IT!"

Kyouhei swallowed the pain in his throat. "T—Touya." He whispered so softly I wasn't sure I was hearing his thoughts or his voice. He was scared. Arceus he was so scared and there was nothing I could do about it. Nothing any of us could do.

"KYUREM!" Ghetsis roared, lifting his empty hand and summoning the beast upright. Its huge harsh wings lifted, flinging tiny ice shards across the cave at us, striking us in the face and shoulders and making it hard to breathe because of the cold.

"No."

"Run." Kyouhei gasped as the thing raised its head and opened it mouth, squealing louder that before—so loud we could hear the snow outside dislodge and icicles fell from the cave entrance.

"We'll get sho—

"WE HAVE TO RUN!" Kyouhei yanked my hand then, losing himself to the fear and taking off towards the cave entrance.

Cold fog seemed to erupt from the ground and lay thick around us as Kyurem stomped forward, around his master and crushing boulders and stone with those wings. The cave walls contracted with his mighty screech, heaving and moaning under the pressure.

"BLIZZARD!" Ghetsis demanded.

"KYOUHEI! I tried—I really did—but he slipped on a patch of ice, unprepared and terrified and our hands disconnected.

My heart, my love, my life all flashed before my eyes as I watched Kyouhei slide on his hip through the patch of ice and out of the way of the attack, leaving me standing, alone, separated as Kyurem took aim across the cave. It was everywhere—so there was no denying that we wouldn't get hit by some expanse of snow and ice and hail, but Kyouhei slide into an area where it was least prominent.

I loved him. I wanted to scream it out to him and tell him but my voice was caught in my throat as an icy wind shook me to the bone, and made me curl up like a dead fish on the ground.

My skin was covered in a thin layer of ice, and my hair felt hard with frost and my eyelashes even had snowflakes stuck to them when I was coherent enough to open my eyes again—not even a second after I hit the ground, hearing Ghetsis' laugh a brutal laugh at our misery.

"Ky—KYOU!" I rasped, seeing him, disoriented and a hundred yards from me trying to stand. Running wasn't the option, fighting wasn't the option. Nothing was the option.

"ATTACK!" Ghetsis ordered his monster again, who stomped forward until it had a clear shot at Kyouhei.

"NO!" I begged. "NO! NO! KYOUHEI!"

I wasn't sure what attack it was… but it sure was stunning. Furious white light erupting all around us so that the walls of the cave were no longer a dark grey, but a glittering silver color. It wobbled like an egg for a moment, trying to grow before Kyurem in all its splendor and glory.

Such a creature shouldn't be allowed to own such evil—pokemon were not evil creatures but this man had fed it to him so much that I could see it in its hollow yellow eyes. All Kyurem wanted to do was kill, and Kyouhei was his victim at the moment.

"NO!" I felt tears melting the ice sticking to my face. I tried to move, tried to run but I was damn near frozen to the ground. My bones physically could not find the strength to hold me up. My shoulders were violently shaking, my lip quivering as I tried to pretend I wasn't going to witness the person I loved get killed before me.

Was this how Touko felt when Tate was taken from her so easily? Was this how Rosa felt when a man she tried to battle took advantage of her in the underground sewers of Castalia City? Was this how Cheren felt every day of his life, knowing that Touya would always love N more than him? Was this how Touya felt when N left him dying in the Plasma Castle?

Who was I to think that I could escape such tragedy? It was like a disease… we were all affected by it now, but I couldn't bear it. I wasn't as strong as Touya or Cheren or Rosa. I was just a stupid kid that was in love.

"KYOUHEI!" I screamed as the white blast shot across the cave at my best friend… my lover… my everything.

…

~N~

Ghetsis used to talk about the conditions of the Giant Chasm when I was younger—back when things were complicated and I didn't know that my whole life was a lie and that I was only being used. Back when love was love and caring for a child meant nothing more than telling them a story before they went to sleep. It was a shame that every story I ever heard concerned of pain or hate or… or some kind of tragedy.

Back when Ghetsis was a father to me, the stories about the Giant Chasm were always about how cold it was underground, and how the caves would freeze over in the winter and how stunning the rock would look glittering in the dull sunlight through the holes in the ceiling. He used to tell me that cold fog would rise up out of the ground and then settle again so that you couldn't see anything below your knees, and it was hard to walk but exciting because you never knew where your feet would take you.

I realized only now, after so long of never putting the broken pieces together, that my father's stories about the Giant Chasm were nothing but made up lies. He was telling me sick and twisted fantasies about the nightmare he wanted to bring to Unova.

The Giant Chasm was far too close to the warm beaches to even have a little bit of snow in the winter, let alone caves full of cold fog and glittering frosty stone. It was all just a lie—or a dream more likely. My father had been telling me his plans to awaken Kyurem all along, and I was too blind to realize it until it was too late.

I arrived on the back of Reshiram with only a second to decide what I was going to do.

My father had cornered those two young teens—Hyuu and the poor babe Kyouhei, and had Kyurem—his nightmare—readying the attack to end something that was never his to start.

Maybe if I had more time I would have talked myself out of what I was about to do, or maybe I would have been able to stop the attack before it started if I had been here even a moment earlier. But the fact of the matter was that I wasn't, and with only that single second of realization I did what I had to do.

Kyouhei was… the most important thing in Touya's life. His little brother was someone that I knew—no matter how hard I didn't want to know—would come before anyone else; even me. Touya had moved on and lived without me for two years, so I knew that he could get on without me again if it came to that—however Kyouhei was someone that Touya had left on a safe tiny island, protected and living life while he was out battling danger for two years. Even if Touya "forgot" about his brother, in the end he was standing for him, even the thousands of miles away.

Touya needed Kyouhei, and Kyouhei needed Touya, and that's why when I saw Kyurem preparing that attack—an attack so powerful it hadn't even a name—I took the blow from it.

Reshiram and I put ourselves between the blow and Kyouhei, much like Touya had taken a terrible blow for his Serperior so long ago in my castle. And I felt no pain—just a sudden, intensity and numbness that made my heart feel as if it was going to explode out of my chest.

I felt dirt and ice and blood on my fingertips and the ground under me, and the smell of flesh and… and fire I thought. It wasn't smoke I smelt, but rather a raw material kind of fire—perhaps it was the way lava smelt in the lowest depths of a volcano. I didn't know. I didn't care.

All I knew was that Kyouhei was safe—I could hear him crying and I could hear Hyuu's footsteps on the floor beyond the sound of Reshiram snarling. I could hear hell to pay, and Ghetsis—my father—cursing over me, rather closely. He may have even kicked me in the side like he used to when I was a child, but again… I didn't care.

I could hear the innocence of pokemon in pain, and the loneliness of them being taken away by my father, and Team Plasma, and even myself at one point. I could hear what I meant to be strong, and to stand up for what you believed in (and for yourself). I could hear love and lust and loss and happiness and sadness… and I could hear Touya.

I could hear Touya's voice as clear as day I my head, calling me and beckoning me to come to him—so sweet and so loving, and… and beautiful.

I died for Kyouhei that day, deep in the cave of the Giant Chasm. I died for all the sins I had done, and all the people I hurt. I died for my father's wrath, and my honor, and integrity. I died to feel happiness once again, and to never see another pokemon suffer. I died for the region—for the world.

But most of all…

I died for Blackie.

…..

~Kyouhei~

"NO!" Touya screamed, his voice cutting off it was too loud for his throat to manage, and wailing in a silent despair. It was a scream that could compare to the screech of Kyurem—agonizing.

I didn't know what was going on exactly

All I knew was that N had saved my life, and Touya and Cheren and Rosa had all showed up at the same moment to witness the blast.

I closed my eyes so I hadn't actually seen how fatal N's body splattering against the wall was, and then I hid my face in Hyuu's chest, sobbing uncontrollably—all the pain and angst and worry I had felt since I started this journey in Unova came spilling out.

We had been through so much… and I had changed so much since I came to Unova in the beginning of this summer. I couldn't help but remember what brought me to this point today. A brother I thought I didn't understand… only to find that I loved him very much, and he was still my best friend NO matter what. I had become a pokemon trainer. I had made friends and experienced things I never imagined possible. I went through more loneliness that any teenager should ever have to, and in the end I came out stronger.

In love…

Even as I slouched, bawling on Hyuu, I knew that… that this had all happened for a reason. Had Touya gotten here a moment before N, he would have taken the blow for me, and that wasn't meant to happen. Touya was meant to live—he was a hero after all. And hero's always lived.

Speaking of which Cheren was holding my brother back, begging him to stop as Touya wailed, howling as if someone was snapping every bone in his body one by one. His chestnut eyes were rimmed with red and his nails were digging into Cheren's forearms so tightly I saw blood draw—but Cheren never let go.

I figured that was it for us—for all of us; we just couldn't let go, not now. Not after we came so far.

Accept for me that is… by the time I worked up enough courage to look across the cave at N's mangled body, soaked in blood so thick you couldn't see any green left of his hair. And his eyes were still open… and Ghetsis was screaming over him, demanding for him to get up—but not because he cared… no it was because Ghetsis wanted the glory of killing his son, and now it was taken from him.

My eyes rolled back into my head at the sight, and I sunk into Hyuu, limp, losing it completely.

"Kyouhei?" Hyuu's hand squeezed my shoulder weakly. "Ky—Kyouhei w—we'll be o—ok."

But would we? Would I knowing that N gave his life for me? Would my brother?

"W—We win." Hyuu choked, and his words were everything but shallow. He sounded like he had lost something so much greater—like how we all felt. Hyuu wasn't being inconsiderate when he said "We won" he was being blatant, and maybe even a little dull. He didn't know what to think—just that it was over now.

And why? Ghetsis was still there wasn't he? Team Plasma? Did we really win?

I wasn't sure what happened after that.

All I knew was that if this was what winning felt like… well then I didn't ever want to be a winner again.

I wanted to go home…

...

Well my lovelies~ This is it... This is the official "Finale" of "We could be Forever", and i want to thank you all so much for sticking with me through this story and being there with words of encouragement. I love writing for you guys, and i hope to have something worth reading again later on~ (perhaps a story once Pokemon X and Y comes out). Anyways... thank you all so much. Really.

Oh! And... i guess i should mention that there WILL be an epilogue to this story~ i will post it as soon as i finish it!

Lots of Love- Mccull~


	66. EPILOGUE

…EPILOGUE….

_Two years later_

~Kyouhei~

August twenty ninth—that was the day, though I didn't even know it at the time, that everything had happened. Two years ago on a this very day Team Plasma had been annihilated, I had almost been killed, and my brother's lover had been killed in a promising attempt to save me.

As the story goes—and I had been telling myself this story every day for two years now—everything happened for a reason. Rosa had been kidnapped for a short while after falling from a great height in the Plasma ship she tried to raid on her own. She had been fine for the most part, even though the fall made her black out for a while, and her spirit had lasted through the hell she had to pay when she woke up. Her beloved Arcanine had a broken hip bone, broken front paws, and a twisted jaw from hitting it on a railing. He had suffered much more than she intended for him to, but the extent of her misery only went as far as seeing his poor crooked face every day. Arcanine was well now, after surgeries to replace his hip and repair his paws, however his jaw had never quite set back to normal, so when you looked at him from one side he looked normal, and from the other side he looked like he was grinning a wicked grin, and he was curling his lip as if to mock you.

It was actually a quite intimidating battle scar if I would say so myself—it frightened a lot of enemies Rosa faced nowadays, giving her an advantage. Arcanine still loved to battle, and he still had an act for it even after having not battled for so long after being injured. He and Rosa went on their way after a year of taking off, and celebrated their one year-no-tragedy-anniversary by challenging the pokemon league. That was exactly one year ago on today.

Well Rosa lost to Iris, the champion after Alder retired and went to live in Johto with his grandson, Lance, a living legend in dragon taming.

Rosa's spirit was never broken though, not by this or by any other catastrophe thrown her way. She trained hard through the winter and went back the next spring for another challenge. This time she succeeded in defeating Iris (it was a close battle though), and the whole region recognized her as a champion trainer.

She got the dream come true she always wanted, however not a moment too soon because as soon as she got her title she fell in love at the poke'star studios, deciding that acting was just as exciting as training. Hyuu wasn't so sure that this part of her life would last, he said Rosa was too "down to earth" to be an actress, and that she shouldn't lead people on who wanted to see the champ on the big screen.

I wasn't sure if Hyuu was right about Rosa, but I was hoping that she wouldn't come home smelling like perfume and girls dressing rooms all the time, so I guess I agreed with him.

Speaking of Hyuu and I, we were currently living in Aspertia city together, in a rather large apartment that was a close enough to my older brother and Hyuu's little sister for both of us. Rosa liked to think she lived with us here, but in reality she was still clinging to her home just a few streets down, and she hadn't attempted to move any of her stuff over, even though we (halfheartedly) invited her to.

So much had changed in the last two years, just like the first two years that the region spent hiding from Team Plasma, and the later summer that was spent bracing the cold from them and their power in the legendary Kyurem. The biggest difference was that no one was living in fear now.

Oh and did I mention that it was actually Cheren that was the hero of Unova now? At least, that's what the media wanted to portray.

That day in the cave that Ghetsis attacked me in, Cheren had ordered his strongest pokemon, Stoutland, to attack Ghetsis. At this point N was dead, I had passed out, and my brother Touya was so far gone he couldn't even move.

Apparently Stoutland had mauled Ghetsis to death with no mercy while Cheren tried to control the very hysterical Touya, pulling him to the ground and holding him there until Kyurem realized his master was gone and fled.

My brother never actually got to see N's body one last time before it was incinerated—Cheren wouldn't allow it, however the ashes remained in my brother's house safely tucked away under his bed, or in his closet, or wherever he put it.

Touko, who suffered for so long over her own lover's death, decided that for Touya's sake she was going to step out of her comfort zone and write N's story for him. I didn't know Touko all that well until after the battle went down, but apparently she was a brilliant author, and within a year she was published with the story out in everyone's hands.

Touko shed light on N and all the wrong that had been done to him. From the brutal childhood he experienced to the day he died, Touko told it all. She sold copies world-wide to people who had heard stories about Team Plasma and all they had done, and the ironic part was that the book may or may not be made into a movie one day. This made Rosa swear up and down that she would play Touko in the movie if it ever actually happened—which made no sense to me because she could potentially play herself, but apparently it had to do with "living through" Touko, and making up for that mistake that got Tate killed. Rosa still weighed that on her shoulders, till this day. But anyways, a movie was still muddy water—Hyuu and I saw no future in that.

Aside from writing the novel about N's life, Touko also managed to help ease the pain of my brother in writing this book. After all that happened Touya actually found comfort in TALKING about N, rather than banishing him from his heart forever. I envied that about my brother—the ability to see the good in a situation that was so bad. Even I hadn't been able to mention N's name for months without tearing up.

I thought my brother was going to hate me for a long time after what N did for me… I thought Touya would blame me for N's death, but my brother showed more courage yet again by putting that factor aside and allowing me to be closer to him than ever. He still broke down, he was still mourning, but he never once blamed anyone for what happened (accept for maybe himself, though I couldn't figure out why). Touya was the strongest person that I had ever known, hands down. His heart was indestructible despite the scars that were embedded it.

The only person that I thought could ever compare to my brother was Cheren, who was really the reason behind Touya's sanity during the worst of the months. Cheren had been there, a crutch for Touya when he needed him most, and I watched what I had believed to be only a friendship turn into something much more in the last two years.

Cheren always loved my brother—long before Touya had even met N, and he timelessly set aside his emotions hoping, praying that in the end Touya would just be happy. Cheren didn't even want a little love in return for all the things he had done for my brother. He just had the integrity and the dignity to never give up on his friend—the man he loved.

Two years later now my brother was starting to accept that N wasn't coming back, and that Cheren was the one he was meant to be with. Now, this didn't mean that Touya didn't love N—he would always love N more than Cheren—but this meant that Touya was willing to move on and let his life be normal. That was a gift—a gift that only Cheren had been able to give him. With a little luck, a lot of patience, and a heart of gold that man had brought back the brother I once knew from a very, very dark place.

I wanted to thank Cheren I think… but I never found the right moment exactly, and by any means I got the impression that he knew I appreciated him anyways.

I appreciated Cheren almost—if not as much- as I appreciated my own savior.

Hyuu, who had been through hell and back again with me. Who had proven much too good for me over and over and still refused to believe that HE deserved someone like ME. Hyuu was my rock, my best friend, my lover.

And on this two year anniversary from everything that had happened, Hyuu surprised me with a gift that I realized I had been waiting on since the moment I got to Unova so long ago.

Plane tickets to Mintonga.

"Kyou." Hyuu's voice mumbled in my ear, and a kiss was planted on my neck as we walked a path I found familiar even though I was blindfolded at the moment.

He insisted that it be a surprise when I got here, so he blindfolded me all the way through the airport on the mainland, and then on the ferryboat over to Mintonga. Hyuu probably wasn't thinking that the smell of this island alone was enough to bring back all the memories of my childhood, but I kept my snarky mouth shut and let him have his moment. He was being nice anyways.

"Can I look now?" I was shaking—my hands just a little numb with anticipation. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my back, and the softest sand between my toes and… and the smell of the ocean so salty and yet so sweet.

"Couple more steps." Hyuu insisted,

"War!" I heard Kukui complain—she was blindfolded as well, being lead by Alec who only mimicked the way Hyuu murmured in my ear to her.

I shivered as I felt warm ocean water lap at my feet, rolling up the height of my foot and swallowing my ankle. If I didn't have the slightest bit of self control I would have lost it right then and there and thrown off my blindfold and ran out to the ocean that was my first love. I could damn near feel the freckles forming on the back of my neck as I waited.

"Ok. Go ahead." Hyuu stepped away from me, and my arms flew to my face, throwing the blindfold off and gazing around.

It was nothing like I remembered it.

I was shocked first, seeing the tiny inlet that I used to consider MY beach, and the sand that I used to think was so white it made me look polar opposite in comparison. I was shocked when I saw a familiar palm tree stretched out over the water, where I used to dive from and get scrapes and cuts occasionally on its chalky bark. My heart was racing, my mind whirling, and my eyes wide.

I whirled around, trying to deny that this was indeed the place I came from. My stomach flipped as I looked up the shore at the path I walked every single day of my life when I lived here. It was the same. All exactly one hundred percent the same… and yet…

It was all so small.

"Wh—Kyouhei isn't this the place?" Hyuu asked worried, and I felt tears of confusion and wonder and happiness swimming in my eyes.

I wasn't upset that this place looked different, I was simply baffled. I knew that nothing physically had changed here, and I put the pieces together that this was just me.

"I—I'm great." I blinked, rubbing my eyes as Kukui and Alec darted into the warm water and disappeared together beneath the waves. She was probably going to show him her home down there.

"Then why do you look sad?"

"I—I'm not… It's just… It all looks so small."

Hyuu grabbed me by the shoulders tightly and pulled me into a hug. "Oh Kyouhei…"

I breathed in that salty air I had been dreaming about for years now.

"You've grown." He pushed back a piece of my messy hair and looked me in the eyes. His deep cherry pink irises were aflame in the late evening—almost sunset—sun.

I nodded. "Yeah… I know…I—I don't feel like I belong here, but I don't feel bad either."

"Don't belong here?" He scoffed at me. "You're a beach babe. How could you not belong here?"

I looked out into the ocean—so wide and so brilliant and wondered what those waves even meant to me now compared to what they had meant before. At one point when I looked out at those waves I saw danger, and I saw a world that could never be as perfect as the one I was living in. Now it seemed I was a world that had so much more to offer than this tiny island did. Was this how Touya felt when he stared out at the ocean before moving to Unova in the first place? I had to imagine that this was it… a feeling of not being satisfied.

It was beautiful of course, but it wasn't the home I had come to know. No matter how much it meant to me there were bigger and better places I needed to be. I realized that now. This island was just too small for me—for the person I had become.

"The waves didn't change…" I whispered, thinking aloud as Hyuu held me against his chest in the ankle-deep water. "The sand didn't chance, or the palm trees… or anything. It's like they're stuck in time… They're forever."

Hyuu caught my chin with his thumb and his finger and tilted my face up until I was watching him, carefully, waiting for him to lean down and kiss me.

"We could be forever…" he suggested with a shy smile.

I shook my head. "No, Hyuu…" and leaned up to peck him on the lips.

"We are forever…"


End file.
